To You, I Give
by Alkenet
Summary: BEING REWRITTEN NEW VERSION: "TO YOU, I GIVE REWRITE"
1. Chapter 1

March 27th.

That was the day we met. The day we became friends. And the day we stopped being alone.

My mommy took me to the park. She said she wanted to introduce me to a friend of hers who had a son the same age as me.

You see, I wasn't very sociable. I didn't like being around so many loud people. It hurt my ears, and every loud sound made me jump. The other kids at school would always be slamming their books or shouting right next to me just because. They didn't even bother to remember my name, I was always just, "Bookworm" or "Weirdo" to them. Probably didn't help that my eyes were an odd yellow color. My mommy's eyes were the same, but she called them a 'topaz yellow'.

Back to the park, my mommy was waving at someone. She must've spotted her friend.

"Nana-cha~n!" my mommy called.

"Ah! Makoto-chan~!" 'Nana-chan' called back. My mommy pulled me along as she ran to meet 'Nana-chan'. She had pretty eyes. The same color as the sky when it turned that pretty orange color and hair the same color as my mommy's favorite chocolate. I blinked, I thought I saw something behind 'Nana-chan's' legs.

"Chi-chan," I looked up at my mommy, "This is my friend, Sawada Nana!" She gently pushed me forward, "Introduce yourself, Chi~!"

I swallowed nervously. I wasn't used to this. I tugged at the bottom of my shirt and bowed, "My name is Mifune Chi…it's nice to meet you, Sawada-san." I wonder if I should apologize for calling Sawada-san, 'Nana-chan' in my thoughts.

Sawada-san placed a hand on her cheek, "Oh how adorable!"

My mommy chuckled, "Well, thank you," My mommy looked around for something, "Where's your son?"

Sawada-san giggled and pointed at a mass of spiky hair hidden behind her legs. Were those spikes staying up naturally?

"Tsu-kun," she cooed, "Tsu-kun, come out, I want you to meet my friend."

My eyes widened slightly, his eyes…th-they were…really…cute. And his hair…somehow stayed up on its own. It was a very nice color, like those chestnuts my mommy would sometimes boil for a small afternoon snack. His eyes, wide as they were, were a warm yellow-brown. My mommy would probably describe them to look like that sweet-sticky stuff. What was it called again? Honey?

"…-chan, Chi-chan," Ah. I wasn't listening. "Chi-chan, this is Tsunayoshi-kun, Nana-chan's adorable son~!" She gushed.

"Aw, Ma-chan," Sawada-san giggled again, calling my mother by a nickname. She gently prodded Tsunayoshi-kun towards me, "Tsu-kun, why don't you go play with Chi-chan, Mifune-san and I will be sitting on that bench just over there-" she motioned to a bench a few feet away from the sandbox, "we'll be keeping an eye on you two, okay?" He seemed hesitant, but nodded and shakily let go of his mommy's skirt.

I flinched when my mommy's hand suddenly, but gently, took my hand from her own skirt, she bent down and patted my head, "I know it's hard Chi-chan, but try and make friends with Tsuna-kun, okay?"

I pressed my lips together and began to tremble. Make _friends_? What if this 'Tsuna-kun' finds out that people think I'm weird? What if he calls me names too? What if he doesn't even bother to remember my name like the others? Is he going to push me into the nearest puddle? Throw mud and rocks at me? Stick gum in my hair? Pour water all over my head? What if-?

"U-um…" I flinched again. He said something. He was trying to get my attention, "Um, m-my name i-is Tsu-Tsunayoshi, but my mommy and daddy usually call me Tsuna, what's your name…?"

His voice is really quiet. He looked just as scared as me.

…Just…as scared…as _me_?

"…My name is Chi…" I whispered, "…It's very nice to meet you, Tsuna-kun."


	2. Chapter 2

We spent the day going all over the park.

We pushed each other on the swings, climbed on the bottom part of the jungle gym so if we fell it wouldn't hurt as much, and made sand castles using water from the fountain.

Our mommies were just talking to each other. That didn't look like a lot of fun, but they were laughing a lot. They were turning pink too. I wonder why.

But I didn't think too much on that since Tsuna-kun wanted to wash off all the sand we got on ourselves.

* * *

><p>Nana and Makoto were giggling like the schoolgirls they used to be.<p>

"That's just too romantic!" Makoto gushed, "Did Iemitsu really say that?"

Nana blushed heavily, nearly swooning, "Mm hm, and the sun was setting too, he planned it out all too well!"

"Ah! Nana-chan, you're so lucky! Sometimes I wish my Naoto was that cliché," Makoto sighed, "But he has his good points too."

Nana laughed, "I remember when you first went on a date with him, you said he was 'absolutely perfect'!"

Makoto sighed wistfully, "Well, the lanky, nerdy type _is_ my type after all."

"You wouldn't stop talking about him after that," said Nana, "I thought I'd never hear the end of how blue his eyes were or how handsome he looked in a vest."

"Hey! I think sweater vests are very endearing!" Makoto retorted, "But speaking of endearing, Tsuna-kun's eyes are so cute!"

Nana squealed, "I know, aren't they? Iemitsu kept taking as many pictures as he could when ever he came home! But what about Chi-chan's eyes? They're beautiful!"

"Oh, I know," Makoto frowned a bit, "but Chi's been getting teased at school because of them."

Nana held a hand up to her mouth, "Oh, the poor girl…you did talk to her teacher about it, right?"

Makoto nodded, "It helped a bit, but Chi still doesn't have any friends…"

"But that'll change today," Nana patted Makoto's arm, "our kids are getting along really well!"

* * *

><p>Tsuna-kun and I were laying on the grass under a tree. We were trying to decide what to do next.<p>

"House?" Tsuna-kun suggested. I shook my head.

"We already played that," I sighed, "Restaurant?"

Tsuna-kun shook his head, "Already played that."

We both let out a long sigh.

"Oh!" Tsuna-kun sat up, "We can have an adventure!"

I sat up too, that sounded fun. An adventure, what do we do in an adventure?

"How do you play?"

Tsuna-kun grinned. Oh! That's the first time today, "We use our imagination!"

Oh, that's right, imagination…boy, do I feel dumb today. I nodded, "Let's play! Where do we start?"

I never had an adventure before! How exciting!

"Oh no!" Tsuna-kun shouted, "The river's too fast! What do we do Chi-chan?"

The "fast river" we were trying to cross was actually some water we splashed onto the cement. We were exercising our imaginations.

I took a deep breath, "…We'll have to jump, Tsuna-kun!" Having an adventure was more fun than I thought.

Tsuna-kun gasped, "What? B-but what if we don't make it!"

I thrust up my "sword", which were some twigs that we found, "We'll make it, I know we will!"

We gave each other excited looks and "dramatically" jumped over the "river". When we landed, we cheered.

"Hooray!" Tsuna-kun shouted, "Now we can get to the kingdom and get rid of the evil dragon!"

I tightened my grip on my twi-I mean, my sword, "Right! We gotta save the kingdom!"

We ran to the jungle gym and began swinging our swords around.

* * *

><p>We had our adventure until it was time to go home. We said our goodbyes and my mommy and I started walking home.<p>

"Mommy?" She looked down at me.

"What is it sweetie?" I felt my face beginning to warm up, was I getting sick?

"Can I play with Tsuna-kun again tomorrow?" My mommy smiled. She had a really pretty smile, and laughed. She had a pretty laugh too, like those wind chimes we had at our house.

"Of course, if Tsuna-kun wants to," Her eyes glittered.

I smiled to myself. I really wanted to play with Tsuna-kun again.

It was really fun. I didn't expect to have this much fun today.


	3. Chapter 3

When we got home, I found out that my family lived a few houses down from Tsuna-kun's family. I was really surprised, why didn't I notice it before?

Oh wait, I never go outside unless my mommy makes me. Nevermind.

But, why did mommy never tell me? I tugged on her skirt when we got inside.

"What is it, sweetie?" Mommy asked.

"How come you never told me that Tsuna-kun lived so close to us?"

She giggled, "I'm sorry Chi, I wanted it to be a surprise~."

I pouted, my mommy was really sorry, that I knew, but did she really have to make it a surprise?

"Does that mean I can go over and play with Tsuna-kun tomorrow, Mommy?" She brushed some of my hair back.

"I'll call Nana-chan and ask, okay?" I nodded really fast. I really wanted to play with Tsuna-kun. We still had to fight off the rest of the dragons in the kingdom.

* * *

><p>Sawada-san said yes!<p>

I was too excited to sleep last night. But I fell asleep anyway. So this morning, I kept hopping up and down. My mommy and daddy were trying not to laugh too much.

My daddy chuckled, "Excited about playing with Tsunayoshi-kun, Chi?"

I nodded, "We haven't beaten the dragon yet!"

"Dragon?" Daddy was still chuckling.

"She and Tsuna-kun were having quite the adventure the other day, Nao-kun~" Mommy explained.

I finally sat down on a couch in our living room waiting for Mommy to walk me over. I already finished my breakfast.

Why do adults have to eat so slowly?

"Alright Chi! Let's go!" Mommy gave Daddy a kiss on the cheek.

"Eeew…" I said and looked away. They just laughed.

* * *

><p>Sawada-san met us at the door. She giggled.<p>

"Good morning Makoto-chan, Chi-chan!" Sawada-san smiled. She had a pretty smile too, like Mommy, "Tsu-kun's in his room, Chi-chan. It's upstairs and the first door to the left."

Left, left…which side was left? Oh! There was a little fish sign with Tsuna-kun's name on a door!

So I knocked, and Tsuna-kun swung open his door. He looked really excited.

"Are you ready to play Chi-chan?" I nodded quickly and went inside his room.

It was kinda messy. But then again, so was mine. There were toys and papers and games all over the floor.

"S-sorry it's so messy, Chi-chan…" Tsuna-kun looked at the floor, "I was looking for something we could use as swords."

I looked around…Hmm, maybe his mommy would let us use chopsticks? No, we might poke an eye or something…

"Do you have any crayons?" I asked. He nodded and pulled a big box from his desk.

"What are you gonna do?" Tsuna-kun followed me downstairs where our mommies were talking.

"Sawada-san?" She looked over at us.

"Hm? What is it?" I nibbled on my bottom lip nervously before asking.

"Can Tsuna-kun and I borrow some scissors and cardboard?" Mommy had a wide-eyed look.

"What are you planning sweetie?" I held up Tsuna-kun's big box of crayons.

"I wanna make swords." Our mommies both giggled.

"Well, you're going to have to let us help, okay?" said Sawada-san.

* * *

><p>We were back in Tsuna-kun's room staring at our new swords, I could almost see the sparkles coming off them.<p>

Imaginary sparkles. They were just that cool.

"These are so cool!" Tsuna-kun grinned widely. I held up my sword.

"Time to save the kingdom?" I asked. Tsuna-kun nodded.

"Yeah! Let's go!" We went outside and ran around, hiding behind things so we wouldn't be hit by the 'fire-breathing dragon'. I can't really remember the last time I had this much fun with anyone who wasn't my Mommy and Daddy.

I hope Tsuna-kun wants to keep being friends with me. It'd make school a lot less lonely.


	4. Chapter 4

It was the end of August. Mommy told me summer was almost over. She said it was time for me to go to school again.

Pre-school wasn't fun. The other kids always made fun of me. Kindergarten might be worse.

"Chi!" Mommy smiled widely, "Guess what? Tsuna-kun's going to the same school as you!"

…Or not.

"Really…!" I gasped, "Tsuna-kun's going to be there?" Mommy nodded.

"Yep!" She looked more excited than I was, "School will be a lot more fun this time, okay Chi?"

I took a big breath. I couldn't stop smiling, and my cheeks were starting to hurt.

Mommy and Daddy looked really happy about me going to school with Tsuna-kun.

I finally had a friend to play with at school!

* * *

><p>"Chi…Chi…!" I didn't reply, my bed was really soft today... I heard someone huff.<p>

"Sweetheart, c'mon, it's time to get ready for school!" I shot up, it was my mommy talking. I ran to the bathroom, hearing Mommy's laughing on the way.

* * *

><p>We met up with Tsuna-kun and his mommy when we left the house. I get to go to school with Tsuna-kun <em>and<em> walk to school with him?

I'm starting to like school a little better now.

When we got to the gates our mommies took us to the Office. I didn't like it. There were too many grown ups. They were big and scary...

"Chi~" Mommy called. I looked up. She looked kinda scared, "I'm taking you to your class, okay?" I nodded. I wonder why Mommy looks scared and nervous.

I ran up to Tsuna-kun and our mommies walked a few steps behind us.

"Are you excited, Tsuna-kun?" I whispered. He didn't look like it. He was all shaky and white. He was making small squeaking sounds too. Looking at him made me feel a little sick. I guess I wasn't so okay about kindergarten like I thought. So we decided to hold hands until we had to go to our classrooms.

"Okay~" Sawada-san cheered, "This is our stop~!" Tsuna-kun and I looked inside the classroom filled with grown-ups and their kids. I was finding it hard to swallow. I remember some of the other kids in there from pre-school. The grip we had on each other tightened. I didn't wanna go in there without Tsuna-kun…!

"What are you two waiting for?" Mommy asked, "Go on, get inside~!" I shook my head really fast. I didn't wanna go in there…

"Oh!" Sawada-san was looking at the clock, "The bell's going to ring!" Our mommies took us inside to find our seats. When the bell rang all the mommies and daddies had to leave…

Mmh…at least I was sitting next to Tsuna-kun.

* * *

><p>Makoto was wiping at her eyes as she was leaving the school grounds.<p>

"Ma-chan, what's wrong?" Nana exclaimed. Makoto sniffled.

"M-my baby's in kindergarten!" She blew her nose into a tissue from her skirt pocket, "Oh, I hope she'll be okay!" Nana sighed and rubbed Makoto's back reassuringly.

"She'll be fine," Nana smiled, "She has Tsu-kun to play with now!"

* * *

><p>It's time for recess, and I'm really scared. Wh-what am I gonna do? I-I don't wanna go outside! Those kids will bully me again…! It's starting to get hard to breathe. My eyes were getting really watery too.<p>

M-Mommy, what do I do!

"Chi-chan?" Someone put a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and found out I scared Tsuna-kun.

"Chi-chan, are you okay?" I blinked a few times and saw that I was shaking a lot. I shook my head.

"…I-I d-don't know…" My face was beginning to get hot, "…I'm scared…" Tsuna-kun held my hand and sat down next to me on the bench.

"I-it's okay…" he smiled, "We don't have to go on the playground, we can just sit here, if you want."

Sit here? For the rest of recess? But it wouldn't be any fun for Tsuna-kun. He'd have to stay with a crybaby!

I shook my head, "…You won't have any fun, Tsuna-kun…" His hand squeezed mine a little harder.

"I don't wanna play with the others either," he said, "They're kinda scary…"

I wanted to cry. N-not because I was sad! But because Tsuna-kun was so much like me it was scary but nice at the same time. So for the rest of recess we sat there talking on the bench until it was time to go back inside. I wanted to go home already so Tsuna-kun and I could have another adventure.

It was almost time to go home. Both Tsuna-kun and I were staring at the clock wishing it would move faster. Our teacher said that when the 'minute-hand', that's the long stick, is on the '6' and the 'hour-hand', that's the short stick, is on the '12' it was time to go home. Or "be dismissed", she said.

And right now, the 'minute-hand' was right next to the '6'. Tsuna-kun and I kept moving our feet.

During lunch, we both had a new idea for another adventure. We weren't gonna fight dragons this time, we were gonna fight the hungry ogres who scared villagers into giving them food EVERY month. But since the ogres ate so much, the people barely had any food for themselves!

…Good story, huh?

Oh! The bell rang! It's time to go home!


	5. Chapter 5

I got to walk home with Tsuna-kun too. I think I'm gonna like this school year a lot. Oh! Mommy's asking about my day.

"So? How was it sweetie?" She smiled at me. I shivered. There were too many people there…

"…I-it was okay…" I muttered, "B-but Tsuna-kun said that I could go to his house today! We made up another adventure!"

Mommy giggled, "Oh did you now? But remember~" she sang, "You have to ask Nana-chan if you can come over~!"

My grip on my mommy's skirt tightened. That's right I completely forgot!

"M-Mommy?"

"Yes?" She had that look that said 'I know what you're gonna ask'.

"C-can we go back to Sawada-san then?" She giggled again.

"No need sweetie!" She took out her phone from her pocket, it was a really pretty purple with a small shiny screen. Mommy flipped it open and pressed on a number for a few seconds, then she held it up to her ear. Oh! Mommy's wearing her pretty green earrings today.

"Hi Nana-chan~" said Mommy, "Chi was wondering if she could come over for a bit to play with Tsuna-kun…" Mommy and I waited for a few seconds, then, "Okay~ We'll be there soon~" Mommy put her phone back in her pants' pocket and took my hand, "Ready?"

I nodded quickly.

* * *

><p>We had to stop playing for today. Tsuna-kun's and my fight with the ogres was going on for too long and Mommy had to get home and make dinner.<p>

"Get home safely then Ma-chan~" Sawada-san bowed slightly. Mommy and I were standing just outside Tsuna-kun's house. We bowed back.

"Don't worry Nana-chan, our house isn't that far away," Mommy giggled.

Tsuna-kun was holding my hands while Mommy was talking to Tsuna-kun's mommy.

"Goodnight Chi-chan!" he grinned, "We'll beat those mean, ugly ogres tomorrow!"

My face was getting warm as I thought of playing with Tsuna-kun again tomorrow, both at school AND at home. I was getting excited, I felt like jumping, but Mommy was already walking me home.

Ah! I didn't say goodbye to Tsuna-kun and his mommy!

"…A-ah…G-g-goodnight Tsu-Tsuna-kun! S-Sawada-san!" I shouted. Mommy and I weren't that far yet so I could still hear Sawada-san giggle and see her take Tsuna-kun inside to get ready for their dinner.

* * *

><p>Mommy and Daddy were tucking me in after I brushed my teeth.<p>

"So how was school today Chi?" Daddy asked. I tugged a loose string on my blanket.

"…There were a lot of people…" I murmured. Mommy grinned.

"But you were in the same class as Tsuna-kun, right?" My face got warm again and I nodded, I wonder if I'm getting a fever. Daddy laughed, he had a nice laugh too. It was deep and soft, like those really big violin-looking things I see on TV sometimes, I think it was called a "jello"?

"Is that so," Daddy pushed some of my hair back and kissed my forehead, "Well, you're very lucky to have a friend like him huh?" I smiled a little.

"…yeah…" I yawned. Mommy smiled and kissed me on the forehead too.

"It's getting a little late for our little girl," she wrapped me in my blanket and both she and Daddy left my room after turning off my lamp. I stuffed my face into my dark green pillow and grinned really big.

I couldn't wait to go to school tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Childhood Arc. END.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

A few years have passed, now Tsuna and I are first years in Namimori Middle. I never knew middle school could be so scary…

Anyway, Tsuna and I are still best friends, even though people call us names like, "No-good Tsuna", or "Loser Tsuna", or when they're referring to me: "Loser", "Bookworm", or the ever common "Freak".

Sure the names haven't changed much, but that doesn't mean they hurt us any less. It affected us pretty bad. Tsuna believes he's really no good and I think that I really am a freak.

Fortunately, there's a silver lining. Tsuna and I still have each other. We somehow keep ending up in the same classes (I have a sneaking suspicion it's because of our parents), we have sleepless sleepovers because we play videogames all night, we study and do our homework together, and just hang out every chance we get. Still…

…It gets kind of lonely every now and then.

But we have our families! My family, Tsuna's family, all we need is each other.

* * *

><p>Morning, Sawada Residence<p>

Nana-san was humming as she was finishing a breakfast omelet. She turned off the stove and placed a delicious looking ham omelet on my plate. Did I mention Nana-san forced me to stop calling her 'Sawada-san'?

"Eat up Chi-chan~!" She said happily. I smiled, hesitantly.

"Nana-san, my mom already made me breakfast…" I protested.

"Oh nonsense!" She waved her spatula around in short circles, "I know Ma-chan makes Tsu-kun breakfast whenever he comes over in the morning~!"

I sighed quietly, "A-alright…" I put my hands together, "Thank you for the food," and proceeded to eat, ah~ it's really good…

Nana-san looked and the clock and sighed, "Speaking of mornings, I wonder if Tsu-kun's woken up yet?"

Huh? I thought Tsuna was getting ready by now, "I can check for you if you'd like?"

She shook her head, "What kind of host would I be if I made you do that?" She started up the stairs with me following.

"It's alright, really, you should finish making his lunch," I argued.

Nana-san let out a light giggle, "Well, if you're going to fight about it, we'll both check on him."

She opened the door to reveal her son's messy room. Nana-san sighed heavily, "Oh honestly," She began walking around picking up various pieces of wrinkled clothing and papers with numerous red marks from past tests and tossing them in their respective places.

I was still standing in the door way, my eyes were wide open in shock, _'Didn't I help him clean up his room yesterday?'_

Nana-san was pulling another piece of paper from Tsuna's desk. He had most likely tried hiding it, but stuffing it in a drawer filled with past crumpled failed tests probably wasn't such a good idea…

I frowned a little and glanced over at my best friend contently sleeping away, a bit disappointed in his choice of a hiding spot.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi!" Nana-san exclaimed, her lips set into a small frown. Tsuna immediately shot up, arms and legs flailing everywhere.

"AH! Wha?" Tsuna was tangled in his blanket as he stared at his mom. I think he's still half-asleep, "What! Why do you have that!"

He threw out an arm to tear away the test Nana-san had in her hand. Ah…guess he wasn't as tired as I thought…

* * *

><p>After Nana-san's lecture about Tsuna's grades and lack of excitement in life, we ran off to school, the bell was about to ring. And we really didn't want to be late.<p>

But, honestly, no one at Namimori Middle wanted to be late, or else they'd have to face our school's head prefect, Hibari Kyoya-san.

He's the head of our school's Disciplinary Committee known to be incredibly violent and has a league of followers bearing rather…risqué hairstyles…

Maybe it makes them appear more intimidating? The members are pretty scary looking already…but then again, I think a lot of people are scary…

"Chi! Hurry up!" Tsuna called, "The bell's gonna ring any second!" Uh oh…better start sprinting…

* * *

><p>And safe!<p>

Tsuna and I got to our seats not a moment too soon. We sighed in relief. Tsuna turned around in his seat to look at me.

"Good thing Hibari-san didn't catch us running, huh?" he laughed hesitantly.

I nodded, "Yeah…I really don't want to be on the receiving end of his tonfas…"

Note: those things are almost solid steel. How do I know this? …Let's just say Tsuna and I came late to school rather frequently…

Ah, the teacher just stepped in. Tsuna and I don't really like him. He always picks on Tsuna for his below average intelligence and me for not speaking loudly enough. Hmph…we can't help it if we're not the ideal students…

Oh well…

Time for our daydreaming to begin…

* * *

><p>After School, Nami Middle Field<p>

I sighed. Girls were playing softball out on the field while boys were in the gym today. I hope the other boys don't trouble Tsuna too much…

M-maybe I should worry about myself right now…

Note to self: the female race is downright scary...

"Hey Freak!" I flinched, gripping the school's bat tightly. What do they want now…?

"Hey! We're talking to you!" One of the girls grabbed my hair. It didn't hurt too much though, it was in a ponytail.

They pushed me onto the ground and kicked me around a bit. Wh-where's the teacher…?

When they were finished the other girls left me there to pick up all the equipment.

Ugh…my ribs hurt.

After I cleaned up, I tried running to the gym, the boys most likely left Tsuna to pick up after them too.

When I went inside, Tsuna was gazing out the window, holding the push broom with a loose grip. He had that dreamy-eyed, drooling expression again. He was probably looking at Sasagawa-san again.

Sasagawa Kyoko-san is Namimori Middle's 'school idol'. Rumored to be dating the kendo team's captain, Mochida…something, I can't remember, all I know is that he scares me. A lot.

Sasagawa-san's pretty, has a nice smile, and a nice voice.

You're all probably thinking I hate Sasagawa-san for taking Tsuna's attention huh? I don't hate her, really.

...She's just one of the most terrifying people I've ever met.

She has this air about her that unwillingly DEMANDS attention. Her presence is just too much for me to handle so I end up blacking out…

Anyway, I get nervous whenever Tsuna blocks out everything but her. I get scared that he'll leave me alone and get closer to her…

Ah! He has that despondent look again, better get moving.

"Tsuna…" He jumps and looks around, then spots me standing a few feet away.

"Ah, Chi, how long were you there?" I smile.

"Long enough to see you gawking at Sasagawa-san," Just because I find her scary doesn't mean I shouldn't support Tsuna. Oh, his face is turning beet red.

Mmph, I should've worded that more gently.

He spluttered incoherently before giving up and started to furiously sweep the floor with the push broom.

Mm…I'll make it up to him when we're done. I'll buy him a double scoop vanilla ice cream cone with chocolate syrup. He always enjoys those.


	7. Chapter 7

After we cleaned up, Tsuna and I went to our shoe lockers to go home. As we were leaving the school gate, I looked at Tsuna.

"Tsuna…" I muttered, still feeling guilty about upsetting him earlier.

"What is it?" He replied. I played with my fingers a bit.

"Can I treat you to ice cream?" Tsuna's eyes widened in confusion.

"Why?" My face got warm.

"As an apology." Tsuna frowned a little.

"An 'apology'? For what?"

"For getting you so flustered when we were cleaning up," I admitted.

Tsuna began stuttering. Ah? Did I upset him again?

"Y-you don't have to do that, Chi! I-it's okay, really!" He was blushing furiously.

I frowned and tugged his hand.

"No, I made up my mind," I narrowed my gaze and held up my free hand and made a fist, "I'm treating you to ice cream, no ifs, ands, or buts."

* * *

><p>Tsuna was sitting at an empty table outside while I was buying the ice cream. Thank goodness no one at school decided to take all my yen again!<p>

I walked back to our table. Two scoops of vanilla with chocolate syrup for Tsuna, and one scoop of mint chocolate chip for me. Both in cups of course, knowing my and Tsuna's luck, we'd trip over nothing and get ice cream all over our uniforms.

"Here Tsuna," I put down his cup, he looked a bit reluctant to accept it, but I knew he was happy.

He sighed and grinned, "Thank you, Chi."

See, he's happy.

* * *

><p>After eating, Tsuna asked me if I wanted to sleepover at his place again.<p>

Of course, I said yes, but I needed to ask my mom too. We have to remember that we're still in middle school and are still under our parents' rule.

But my mom always says yes to my and Tsuna's sleepovers anyway. She says she trusts us to not do anything bad…I'm not quite sure what she means by that.

* * *

><p>Mifune Residence<p>

"Mom! I'm home!" Odd, she's usually in the living room reading a book or something. I looked around, maybe she's in the backyard? I walked to the back and saw her poking around her garden. Is she trying to catch those lizards again?

"Mom?" She jumped…do I walk _that _quietly?

"Oh! Sweetie, you're home!" She took off her gardening gloves and pulled me into a big bear hug, "How was school sweetheart?" she asked, nuzzling the top of my head.

She looked happy, she probably had a good day so far. Well, I shouldn't ruin that good mood.

"It was okay, Tsuna and I got to school on time today," She gasped and her eyes began to sparkle.

"Oh yay! Good for you two!" She hugged me tighter. Ugh…it's getting hard to breathe…

"M-Mom…air…" I wheezed. She let go and straightened out my uniform, "Mom, can I sleepover at Tsuna's today?"

She nodded, "Of course, dear, but be sure to call me before you go to bed so I know you're okay, okay?"

I nodded, "I will, bye Mom!" I went outside.

You're probably wondering where my Dad is huh?

He and Iemitsu-san work together as construction workers in a lot of different places, so they don't come home a lot. But even if I don't get to see my Dad, I still love him of course. He's family.

* * *

><p>In Tsuna's room, we were playing video games. As per usual. And mind you, we finished our homework before hand.<p>

So Tsuna and I were currently playing a fighting game. We were tied five-to-five and Tsuna was beating me. Grr…

Darn him and his fast fingers…

"Tsu-ku~n, Chi-cha~n!" Nana-san called. She came in carrying a plate of small sandwiches and tea. Most likely green, mothers always want their children to be healthy.

"I thought the two of you might still be a bit hungry after dinner, so I made you some snacks~" She chirped.

Nana-san put the plate on the table in the middle of Tsuna's room and left with a cheerful "Goodnight!"

Mmm, now we're stuck between pausing the game to eat or finish the battle then eat…

* * *

><p>Either way, Tsuna ended up winning and we finished the snacks his mother brought in. We both washed up and got ready for bed.<p>

Now, for our sleeping arrangements, you may find it a bit odd.

Tsuna and I share the bed. And likewise, when he sleeps over at my house. We're pretty used to it, and Tsuna's bed is big enough for both of us and then some. We turned off the lights and let the moonlight come in.

Finally, Tsuna and I can get some rest. Today was pretty rough, just like all our other days…

"Goodnight Chi," Tsuna murmured sleepily. He held my hand tightly and laid his forehead against mine.

"Goodnight Tsuna," I whispered, gently squeezing his hand. We both let out a soft sigh before allowing the comforting darkness of sleep take over.


	8. Chapter 8

"Okay, so did I set this up right?" Tsuna asked. I looked over at his worksheet. Small scribbles and doodles littered the margins.

"Hm, you need to switch these two numbers, the formula goes like this…," I wrote the formula and went back to my own scribble-covered homework.

It was after-school and Tsuna and I were hanging out in his room doing math. My mom told me I could stay over since she was going to refill our fridge by buying all the on-sale food…

Isn't my mom just adorably eccentric?

_Knock knock_

Hm?

Tsuna and I looked at each other in confusion. That knock was a little too high-pitched to be Nana-san.

_Slam!_

The door burst open to reveal…

…a…a baby?

U-uh, anyway he walked in sporting a black fedora and tiny black suit wearing a small smirk on his lips and a mischievous gleam in his eye.

I mentally shivered. Someone else to add to my ever-growing list of scary people. And he was just an infant.

I think I finally cracked.

Next to me, Tsuna was lamenting over his broken door. Poor Tsuna…

"Ciaossu," The small baby said. Hold it…how old is he? And isn't _'Ciao'_ a foreign greeting?

"Wh-who are you?" Tsuna shouted. The baby's smirk grew larger.

"I'm your home tutor, Reborn," he replied.

…Now this is just absurd. Then again…that little chameleon resting on the brim of Reborn-san's fedora looks pretty suspicious…

Ah, Tsuna's having one of spazz attacks, and I'm wondering how I'm being so calm about this. Wait, everything's turning black…oh nevermind, I'm just going into shock for a bit.

* * *

><p>"Ch-Chi!" Tsuna yelled, eyes filled with worry over his out-cold, black-haired friend. Nana then came in and spotted Reborn in her son's room, not at all bothered at the fact that her son now lacks a door to his room and her best friend's daughter was passed out.<p>

"Ah! Tsu-kun~ I see you and Chi-chan met Reborn-kun~" she smiled cheerfully. Tsuna turned away from Chi, pausing from trying to revive her.

"M-Mom, who is this kid?" he shouted indignantly, "He's not really a tutor is he?" Nana only giggled.

"There was a flyer in our mailbox," she explained, "It said he'll train you to be the next leader of your generation!" She walked downstairs to begin dinner.

"Right, that didn't sound fishy at all!" Tsuna frowned. The gleam in Reborn's eyes grew brighter and even more devious.

He suddenly pulled out a large rifle and aimed directly at Tsuna's forehead, "Don't test me," he said, menacingly, "In real life, I'm a trained assassin. I'm here to train you to become a mafia boss."

"Wh-What? What are talking about?" Reborn merely tapped the boy's forehead with his rifle.

"I was hired to teach you."

Tsuna let out his trademark 'HIIIIIIEEEEE', "A-are you insane?"

Reborn's smirk grew wider, if possible, "Want me to prove it to you?"

The baby's finger barely brushed the trigger before a loud rumbling could be heard from his stomach. The rifle mysteriously disappeared and reborn walked out of the room saying, "But first, dinner."

Tsuna could only stare after him in disbelief and remembered that his best friend was still passed out on his floor.

* * *

><p>Nana was about to call Tsuna but saw her son walking down.<p>

"Tsu-kun, dinner's almost ready." Tsuna shook his head.

"No thanks Mom, I need to restock my supply of smelling salts for Chi," he mumbled, exhausted by the recent events caused by a possibly insane infant, "And Mom, about that tutor-" Tsuna paused and gawked at the appearance of his 'tutor' at the dinner table.

"Mom! What's he still doing here?" he shouted. Nana smiled.

"He'll be staying here until you're grades improve!" Tsuna's mouth dropped.

"B-but what about Chi? I think she's doing just fine tutoring me!"

Nana sighed, "Tsu-kun, remember that Chi-chan is your best friend first before anything else, you can't always expect her to be tutoring you. And besides, she deserves a nice break, don't you think?"

Tsuna's shoulders slumped and he released an large, defeated sigh.

* * *

><p>Morning, Mifune Residence<p>

Chi's POV

"Mm…hm?" I rolled over and found myself wrapped in my blanket.

Odd.

I don't remember walking home last night.

But I got up and got ready for school. After I brushed my teeth, I went downstairs and saw my Mom placing my finished breakfast on a plate, with my lunch right next to it.

"Good morning sweetie!" she chirped, "Tsuna-kun was so sweet to call to let me know that I had to pick you up!"

I blinked in confusion, "He ran out of smelling salts?" She nodded.

"Better hurry up sweetheart, you and Tsuna-kun wouldn't want to be late for school!"

* * *

><p>O-oh dear…I-It wasn't a dream. The talking baby is real. I'm scared, I almost want to cry…<p>

I stood on Tsuna's front porch almost petrified and he was trying to calm me down before I fainted again.

"J-just stay calm, okay Chi?" he made a 'settle-down' motion with his hands. I turned to him.

"Explain. Please," I begged him with my eyes, the rest of my face frozen in shock.

* * *

><p>After the explanation, Tsuna and I began walking, for once not rushing due Reborn-san's threats on waking Tsuna up early. Might I add that he's following us?<p>

"U-um," I stuttered, "Sh-shouldn't you be in preschool?"

"Assassins don't go to preschool," was his curt reply. How scary…

"I-I see…" I gulped and walked a bit closer to Tsuna.

"Will you just cut the act already?" he scolded.

Tsuna seems really agitated today. Hm? What's he looking at-?

_Clunk_

Ouch, why are we hiding behind a wa-Oh, it's Sasagawa-san. Eh? Why isn't Reborn-san moving?

"Oh how cute!" She gushed. Cute? He's not cute, he's the devil's spawn!

…says Tsuna's quiet muttering.

"Ciaossu," he greeted.

"Why aren't you in school little boy?"

"Because I'm in the mafia." Sasagawa-san giggled.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Tsuna and I cringed. Is she really falling for it, or is she just playing along?

"Good luck then!" And she walked away.

"Mafia guys always score," Reborn taunted. I'm guessing that was directed towards Tsuna.

"Wh-wha-!" Reborn interrupted.

"You like her, don't you No-good Tsuna?" Hm? How'd he know?

"Th-that's none of your business! And how'd you learn that name?" Reborn smirked.

He really likes smirking doesn't he?

"I'm trained to read minds."

…He's joking right?

"Just leave us alone already!" Tsuna shouted.

"No can do," Reborn-san replied, "I told you, I'm here to train you to become a mafia boss."

"And I told you, you shouldn't lie!" Reborn-san smirked.

"Have you even told her how you felt?" Mm, I'm not liking where this is going…

"Wha-who are you talking about?" Spazzing and his face is getting red…Why do I get the feeling something big is about to happen…?

"That girl, Sasagawa Kyoko, you have a crush on her don't you?" Reborn-san asked, well, more like he stated it, "I bet you didn't tell her."

Tsuna sighed, his face a pale pink, "Of course not! Sasagawa Kyoko's the most popular girl in school! She probably doesn't even know I exist!"

I sighed, "I'm sure that's not true, Tsuna…" That's the thing with popular people, people hate to love them.

In most cases, anyway. Sometimes other people love to hate them.

"Hmph, spoken like a true loser, No-good Tsuna," Reborn-san remarked, and rather harshly at that.

"Leave us alone," Tsuna spat. We started walking again until I heard Reborn-san sigh, and a metallic _'click!'_

"Guess it's time for me to do my thing…"

Tsuna and I turned around in confusion and were faced with the barrel of a gun. It moved directly in front of Tsuna.

…Wait…WHAT?

Tsuna laughed nervously, "That's a toy, right?" Reborn-san smirked again. Ugh…I can already feel my body locking up already…

"You'll see…" Reborn-san said, "When you die, you'll understand."

D-d-die?

_BANG!_

A small bullet hole marred Tsuna's forehead. Some blood flew out as his body fell to the ground.

...Ts-Tsuna...?

"Reborn-san," I asked, my tone vacant.

"Yes?" His face held that infuriating smirk again.

"I know this is very impolite to say, but I want to smash your head into the ground until you are nothing but a pile of unrecognizable muscles, organs and matter."

Yikes, that's a little scary. Note to self: NEVER threaten anyone with a gun when you have no means of defense.

Reborn-san chuckled, "Just wait."


	9. Chapter 9

Must. Not. Kill. Child. Must. Resist…!

While I was fighting my urges to harm and potentially kill the suit-clad infant who may have killed my best friend and who could most likely kill _me_ with his gun, I didn't notice that Tsuna's still body had begun glowing for a bit and the light receded almost immediately.

"You might want to see this," Reborn-san warned.

See? See what? Hm? Ah! Tsuna's body just moved! H-he's alive?

"REEEEBOOORN!"

E-EH? D-did Tsuna just burst out of his clothes?

"CONFESS TO SASAGAWA KYOKO WITH MY DYING WILL!" Aaand he ran off kicking up a bunch of dust. In his boxers…

IN HIS BOXERS?

On the ground in front of me was Tsuna's torn up uniform. Ohhh dear…Uh, let's see, I'm pretty sure I have enough to buy a new uniform for Tsuna from the student store…G-Gah!

"Reborn-san!" I shouted as I was running in the direction Tsuna went, "Wh-what did you do?"

He smirked once more from his position on my shoulder, "I'll explain once everything's calmed down, focus on getting to school."

I sighed.

* * *

><p>Oh no, I got here too late…<p>

In front of the school was Tsuna and Sasagawa-san surrounded by the other students. They looked on in mixed horror and extreme amusement.

"SASAGAWA KYOKO! PLEASE BE MY GIRLFRIEND!" Tsuna shouted.

And as anyone would do in Sasagawa-san's position, she screamed and ran away, her friend following behind her, throwing poor Tsuna a deadly glare over her shoulder.

I think her name was…Kurokawa Hana?

Whatever, it seems Tsuna's back to normal again. But he's still in his boxers…

"E-eh? Wh-what was that?" Tsuna shouted, grasping at his hair. The remaining students were all laughing and throwing sarcastic and rather rude comments at my best friend.

"What a freak!"

Eh? Oh, it wasn't directed at me. Hey, wait a second! _I'm_ supposed to the freak, not Tsuna!

I turned around to look at the person who shouted that but the front gate was eerily empty…Uh oh, the bell rang didn't it?

Tsuna was still pulling at his hair but was now crying over about how much of an idiot he looked like and how embarrassing it was. Poor Tsuna. But now we have to get to class before Hibari-san comes to 'bite us to death'.

"Herbivores."

Tsuna and I froze. Too late.

Hibari Kyoya was standing right in front of us, his black Nami Middle blazer fluttering ominously on his shoulders.

I think part of my soul just died.

"You're both late," he said lowly bringing out his infamous solid steel tonfas, "I'll bite the both of you to death."

I had to swallow the loud shriek that was about to burst out of my throat. Tsuna didn't hold back though.

"HIIIEEEEEEEEEEE!"

He has a very strong pair of lungs.

Hibari-sempai narrowed his eyes in response.

…Well, there goes the rest of my soul. Goodbye soul! We had a good fourteen year run!

Hm?

I looked around and saw the windows of the school hallways passing by in a nauseating blur. Huh, I didn't know Tsuna could run _this_ fast. He was actually pulling me along while looking for the student store. Oh, so that's why my arm feels like its being pulled out of its socket.

* * *

><p>After school, Tsuna and I were hanging out at his house going over what happened today. With him being his usual spastic self, and me trying to calm him down.<p>

We were in his room with Reborn-san. I never thought I'd be so scared of a baby before…

I feel like fainting right now.

A-Anyway, putting my weak constitutions aside, Tsuna was hunched over and groaning about how embarrassing today was.

"Aaaaaaagh!" Tsuna cried, tears prickling at his eyelids, "I can't believe that happened, and right in front of Kyoko-chan too!" He let out another heartbreaking groan before slumping backward and landing on the carpet. I sighed and gently patted the little sliver of stomach revealed when he fell back.

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Tsuna," I said, forcing a smile to break through my face that was frozen by fear because of the devil ba…I-I mean…Reborn-san.

Tsuna stared at me with teary eyes in disbelief, "How will it be fine! I committed one of the biggest acts of social suicide ever!" He put his hands on his face and slowly dragged them down, smearing his tears along his cheeks on the way.

Poor Tsuna, I really wish I could do something more for him. And I doubt ice cream will help calm him down.

"Heh," Reborn-san chuckled. Ah, he speaks, "You should be lucky you're still alive."

Of course Tsuna should feel lucky. He was only SHOT IN THE HEAD.

Tsuna scowled as he looked towards Reborn-san, "What was that thing anyway! Was it seriously a bullet!"

The tiny tutor smirked and held up a small shiny bullet, which compared to his hand kind of looked big, "This is called a 'Dying Will Bullet'."

I gave the bullet a closer look, "A 'Dying Will' bullet?"

Reborn-san nodded, "Anyone shot in the head with this will face death and be flooded with regrets of what he failed to accomplish."

Tsuna and I reeled back in shock, _'That sounds horrible!' _We thought.

Reborn-san continued, "The bullet brings you back with enough power to achieve that one regret."

"A-and if I didn't have any regrets?" Tsuna asked warily.

"Well I AM an assassin," Reborn-san replied, and rather bluntly at that.

"You mean I/he would've DIED!" Tsuna and I shouted.

"Why do you think I said you were lucky?"

"Ugh…" Tsuna groaned again, "But I didn't want to confess to Kyoko-chan like thaaaaaat!"

"You wanted to confess to her before you died, so that's what you did."

Tsuna shot up and grabbed Reborn-san by the collar of his small suit, "Sh-shut up!"

I think I might've blinked at this point because the next thing I knew, Tsuna was flipped over and flinching in pain. Oh dear, I'm feeling faint. But I helped Tsuna sit up anyway, dizzy as I was.

"Wh-what is this 'Dying Will' bullet? How come we've never heard of it?" I asked, my voice was shaky.

Reborn-san stood up straight, looking straight at me and Tsuna as we sat cross-legged on the floor, "The 'Dying Will' bullet is a secret passed down through the Vongola Family."

"'Vongola Family'?" We repeated. Reborn-san nodded.

"I was hired by my boss the Vongola Ninth to train you into becoming a mafia boss."

"Gah, why am I just buying this crazy story!" Tsuna yelled. I rubbed his shoulder to calm him down. Reborn-san ignored him.

"The Ninth is getting on in age so he wants to find a suitable successor for the Tenth Generation," Reborn-san took out three photos, "Unfortuantely, Enrico, the leading candidate was shot and killed in a gunfight-"

"HIIIEEEE!"

The picture Reborn-san held up was of a young man lying on a cobblestone street with a bullet hole through the head and a bloody puddle forming beneath him. This was already too much for me and I ended up going into shock and passing out on Tsuna's floor…again.

I have a feeling I'm going to be fainting a lot more than I usually do now…


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, after Tsuna and I helped each other get ready for school and learning that my mom was perfectly fine with me staying over at Tsuna's last night, we discussed what information I missed out on.

"Okay, so basically the three top candidates were kicked out of the running because they all died horrible deaths and you're the next one up because you're a direct descendant of the Vongola Family's founder, Vongola Primo?" I summarized, geez, I'm feeling dizzy already and it's not even seven-thirty yet!

Tsuna nodded begrudgingly in response.

* * *

><p>We got to our classroom and stood just outside the door, we weren't ready to go inside yet.<p>

I looked over at Tsuna. He was shaking a little and mumbling loud enough just for me to hear, "If I see Sasagawa Kyoko, I don't know what I'll do…"

I looked at him, then back at the door and brushed the back of my hand against his. He immediately grabbed my hand in his clammy one. We stood there a little longer basking in the last few quiet moments of morning before we entered our daily hell, gripping each other's hand like it was our lifeline. Tsuna and I both took a deep breath and slowly let it out before he slid open the door.

It was like a huge gust of wind smacked us both in the face, all our classmates were laughing and pointing at Tsuna, throwing out jab after jab of what transpired yesterday. We had already let go of the other's hand.

"Hey look! Underpants Man is here!"

"'Please be my girlfriend!'"

"Hahahahahaha! Better start praying, Mochida-sempai saw everything!"

"I heard she totally shut you down!"

"And I bet the freak was just off hiding behind a wall!"

"Hah! Some friend she is huh?"

"Well those two aren't 'No-good' for nothing!"

And that was just within the first five minutes. I looked over at Tsuna, who looked as pale as I was who was internally freaking out about all the people laughing and pointing at us. I could almost hear his thoughts.

'_They all know!'_

We turned to go out into the hallway, unfortunately we were surrounded by both under and upperclassmen alike, laughing and mocking Tsuna and I.

I swallowed and starting trembling, I honestly felt like throwing up. Th-there's too many people… …!

My jumbled thoughts were interrupted when some members of the kendo club ran up and dragged Tsuna away.

"You can't leave just yet!" One of them shouted.

"Yeah, Mochida's waiting for you in the dojo!" And off they went…

Behind me I heard Kurokawa-san explaining to Sasagawa-san that Mochida-sempai was going to beat Tsuna for 'making her cry' yesterday.

Hold it, she didn't cry! She ran away like any sane person would if a nearly naked teenager ran up to them!

Ugh, better get to the dojo while everyone's distracted by Mochida-sempai's 'act of love' or whatever…

* * *

><p>When I got to the school dojo there was already a large crowd surrounding Tsuna and Mochida-sempai.<p>

I'm not sure if I mentioned this already, but I'm seriously scared of him, since he's so popular among the female student population and the kendo team's captain.

"There you are you perverted stalker!" he shouted, gripping the handle of his bamboo sword tightly.

Perverted stalker…? Well… he's got a point, kinda…still, how rude!

"God might forgive scum like you, but I, Mochida, will not!" he continued, "You will be punished!"

"B-but!" Tsuna tried defending himself, but was interrupted.

"The challenge is as follows!" Mochida-sempai shouted, "If you can land a hit on me in ten minutes you win, if you can't, I'll be champion!"

But, he's the captain, this is already unfair!

"The prize of course," he thrust his hand behind him, revealing Sasagawa-san and her friend, Kurokawa-san, "Is Sasagawa Kyoko!"

P-prize? Pardon my coarse language, and despite my immense fear of him, I must say that this guy is a complete JERK to the highest degree!

Mochida-sempai then turned to the kendo team and he seemed to be talking to himself, hmm, very suspicious. I felt my arm being tugged and I was suddenly being dragged down an empty hallway.

"Tsuna? You got away?" I asked, matching his pace as my nervous friend slowed down. Tsuna nodded, a frown forming on his face.

"I asked them to let me go to the bathroom," he replied. I gave him a blank stare.

"Tsuna, it doesn't matter how long we've been friends or how many times we took a bath together, I'm not watching you-!" Tsuna began stuttering.

"I'm not going to do that!" he retorted, blushing, "I'm gonna run away."

I sighed. Running away was an unfortunate response common to Tsuna.

"Tsuna, if you run away, the other students will only treat you worse," I said, "I don't want them to start torturing you more."

"What more can they do?" Tsuna mumbled, "Can't be any worse then putting ink and tacks in our shoes or beating us up after school."

I bit my bottom lip, trembling violently and began tripping over my words. Tsuna squeezed my hand tightly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…" I shook my head.

"It's fine," I stopped walking and looked at him, "But I'm sure they can find worse ways to bully us after this Tsuna."

I suddenly felt something wrap around my ankle and Tsuna and I were being hanging upside-down. Luckily I had an arm free to hold my skirt down.

"Wh-what the-!"

"Ciaossu."

Oh dear, excuse me as I frantically force myself to stay calm.

* * *

><p>"Reborn!" Tsuna shouted, vaguely aware of Chi freezing up next to him, "What are you doing here?"<p>

Reborn was holding the other end of the rope holding up the two, "I've been watching you to make sure you were conducting yourself like a real mafia boss. It'll be troublesome, but don't worry about it, you and I have a relationship."

"What relationship?" Tsuna shouted angrily. Reborn smirked.

"A relationship," Reborn took out a gun, "between an assassin and his target."

_Bang!_

* * *

><p>"I'LL SCORE A POINT WITH MY DYING WILL!"<p>

Huh? Dying Wi-oh. Oh no. I was being dragged down the hallway again by Tsuna. Except this time, he was in his underwear and his forehead was on fire. Hm, looks like it's another trip to the student store.

When we got to the dojo, Tsuna dropped me off at the entrance and slammed open the door.

"RAAAAAAAAAGH! Let's fight!" he shouted. Various female screams and the occasional insult about Tsuna's attire were heard throughout the room. Two of the kendo members were struggling to give Tsuna pieces of the kendo armor which seemed pretty heavy, but paid them no attention and headed straight for Mochida-sempai, who burst out laughing.

"Pfft! Hahahahaha! Are you seriously thinking of fighting me like that?" He raised his bamboo sword and brought it down as Tsuna got closer, "Don't think I'll go easy on you!"

The sword hit Tsuna right on the forehead.

…F-forehead? Ts-tsuna!

Tsuna paid it no mind and smashed his forehead against Mochida-sempai, who fell back in both pain and surprise. He then sat on Mochida-sempai's stomach.

W-wait, what's he doing? I slipped through the crowd, shaking among the way because of all the bodily contact. When I got to the front Tsuna had torn off a handful of Mochida-sempai's hair.

Oh my.

"SCORE! 100 POINTS!" Tsuna yelled sticking his hair-filled fist up in the air. The room went silent before cheers erupted, amused and proud shouts of Tsuna's 'strategy' on winning the challenge was heard throughout the crowd.

I just stared ahead in disbelief and pride was welling up in my chest. Who knew Tsuna would be strong enough to pull off a handful of hair?

"HOW'S THIS!" Tsuna shouted, the scorekeeper was frozen stiff in shock, "NOT ENOUGH!" Tsuna turned back to Mochida-sempai and began tearing off the rest of his hair until all that was left was his scalp.

Ouch.

"I WIN!" Tsuna held up a pile of Mochida-sempai's hair to the scorekeeper who quickly, and shakily, held up a red flag signaling Tsuna's win. The room went still and I took this chance to run up to Tsuna, who calmed down from his 'Dying Will' mode.

"Tsuna," I whispered, intending to take him to the student store for a replacement uniform, but the room began cheering again. Everyone crowded around us and I clung to Tsuna's hand, frozen in fear of the amount of people surrounding us.

Sasagawa-san walked up to Tsuna, "I'm sorry for running away yesterday," she let out a small giggle, "My friends are always telling me I don't know when to laugh."

So she thought his confession was a joke? If I wasn't so scared of her, I'd probably be giving her a nice long lecture about not hurting someone's feelings, especially if it concerns MY best friend!

"That was really awesome, Sawada-kun! You're no ordinary guy!" she giggled again.

Hm? This is weird, I've never felt so irritated from someone's giggling before…

* * *

><p>After school Tsuna and I decided to hang out at his house since our moms were out grocery shopping.<p>

"I can't believe it!" Tsuna cheered, "I actually became friends with Kyoko-chan!"

"And all because of a baby tutor and a bullet…" I said. Tsuna stopped cheering and looked thoughtful.

"Huh, you're right," Tsuna remarked quietly, "Everything he does is crazy and completely unnecessary, but if it weren't for him, none of this would've happened…"

Tsuna and I ran up to his room expecting to find Reborn-san. Which we did, unfortunately there was a trip-wire near a sleeping Reborn-san and it set off an explosion.

…Will this chaos ever cease? I think not. Ugh, my body's feeling stiff just thinking about it.


	11. Chapter 11

It's really strange, a few days after Tsuna and I met Reborn, things have been really lively. I mean, Tsuna's been waking up earlier and people at school have been calling Tsuna, "No-good", less and less. And me, I've just fallen off their radar. No one's noticed me unless the teacher does roll call.

It's great. If people don't notice I'm there, they won't make fun of me and beat me up until I turn black and blue!

Finally, Tsuna and I can go to school without being scared!

* * *

><p>…Nevermind, I lied.<p>

You see, after the Mochida incident, and the inclusion of Tsuna's sudden boost in popularity, we've now received a request. Er, Tsuna received a request.

"Please! You have to help us!" a student begged Tsuna. His hands were held together like he was praying and he was bowing.

Tsuna, still unused to all the attention, was stuttering and blushing and tripping over his words. Nice to know all this hasn't gotten to his head.

"Bu-but, why me? !" he cried. The student stood up and began to explain.

"Please, Sawada-kun! We're missing a member and the tournament is today!" the student pleaded, "With your skill, we would definitely win! Please, we're desperate!"

Obviously, since he's asking the boy who used to be known as 'no-good', not even a week ago…

Um, you're probably a bit confused as to why Tsuna's reluctant to accept. The tournament in question is the volleyball tournament.

Tsuna and I have never played volleyball. Ever. At all. Get it? Got it? Good.

"O-okay…" Tsuna answered.

Huh? Wh-what did he say?

"I guess…I can play," he continued.

Tsuna! What are you thinking? ! You'll be crushed!

"Really?" the student shouted, "That's great! With the guy who beat Mochida-sempai on our side, the other team's got no chance!" The student bowed again before running off to tell the team.

When Tsuna and I were alone in the hallway, I decided to speak up for the day.

"Tsuna…" I said, with a growing tone of worry.

"It'll be fine!" he tried reassuring me. Didn't really work, but hey, he tried, "If Reborn uses the Dying Will Bullet on me then I've got nothing to worry about!"

I let out a quiet, but harsh sigh, "You may have nothing to worry about, but I certainly do…what if it doesn't work? The team would get really disappointed and they'd start calling you 'no-good' again!"

"It'll be fine, Chi!" he stressed, "You don't have to worry about me ALL the time y'know?" He held out a hand for me, ready to lead me to the classroom where the team was.

"And yet you give me so many reasons to," I glared slightly (which probably looked more like a pout) at the offered hand, and gave in.

* * *

><p>I was waiting outside the classroom since the team was changing. The door opened and a few members walked out. I could hear one of them calling out to Tsuna inside.<p>

"Come on, Sawada, let's get going!" he called.

"You guys go ahead, I'll be there in a sec," Tsuna replied.

After the team vacated the hall, Tsuna grabbed my hand and we went searching for the tiny tutor. Finding a baby in a middle school is a lot harder than you might think, Reborn-san can hide really well.

"Reborn said he'd be keeping his eye on me so he should be here somewhere…" Tsuna muttered. We looked through various classrooms when finally Tsuna and I caught the smell of caffeine emanating from a small emergency cabinet in the hallway. When Tsuna and I got close enough, the cabinet slammed open.

You can guess what happened to me next. Yup, passed out. Right on the floor. Stupid loud noises…

* * *

><p>"Ch-Chi!" Tsuna cried, her turned to glare at the tutor who had a knowing smile on his face, "R-Reborn! What are you doing? !"<p>

Reborn took a sip from a small mug, "This is one of the hideouts I set up around the school."

"N-nevermind that!" Tsuna shouted, "You have to shoot me with the Dying Will Bullet!"

Reborn was refilling his cup, "I can shoot you, but you'll die."

Tsuna was in shock, "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Since you'd be expecting me to shoot you, you'd have no regrets," Reborn explained, "No regrets, no second chance. You'd end up being killed by yours truly."

"Aaagh!" Tsuna cried, "Chi was right! Now what do I do? ! Everyone's gonna hate me!"

"Still wanna try it?" Reborn held up his gun to Tsuna's forehead.

"Nononono! I changed my mind!" the boy yelled.

"Good luck then," Reborn shut to cabinet.

Feeling depression creeping up on him, Tsuna woke up Chi and began explaining his predicament.

* * *

><p>I just knew something would go wrong. I don't usually like telling people 'I told you so', so I didn't say anything. Tsuna's upset enough already.<p>

"Chi…what am I gonna do…" Tsuna was slouched and his eyes were blurry.

I sighed quietly, "We should just get it over with, if you don't show up people would think you ran away."

Tsuna groaned, "F-fine, let's just get this over with…"

So we are in front of the gym. Awaiting Tsuna's fate. He squeezed my hand tightly one more time and we both opened the doors. Everyone was cheering him on and some were even waving banners.

Oh dear, if the team does lose, everyone would be out for Tsuna's blood…

* * *

><p>Somewhere behind the crowd, under the shadows stood a figure. A cigarette hanging inbetween hidden lips.<p>

"…So…he's the next boss of the Vongola…"

* * *

><p>"Good luck Tsuna," I whispered. He nodded and walked toward the waiting team.<p>

Against my better judgment, I decided to stand in front of the crowd, to make sure I'd be able to get to Tsuna quickly if he were to get seriously hurt. Off to the side, I saw Sasagawa-san with her friends. So she's here too…hm? …Why do I feel…angry?

The match began and almost immediately Tsuna was hit in the stomach with the ball.

Ahhh, just watching this is painful…poor Tsuna…

Unfortunately, the game kept going on with Tsuna being smacked about every fifteen seconds. Yes, I was counting.

Ten minutes into the game was when the captain FINALLY called for a time-out. Everyone was mumbling and grumbling about Tsuna's dismal performance. I snuck my way around so I could get close to the team and see what Tsuna would do.

* * *

><p>"Sawada! Are you even trying? !"<p>

"Get it together!"

"Come on! We're all trying our best you know!"

"Don't tell me you're "No-good Tsuna" after all!"

Harsh, but what can they expect from a guy whose never played volleyball in his life?

* * *

><p><em>Fweet!<em>

Ah, that whistle signaled the end of the first set. Hm? Where's Tsuna going?

Tsuna looked around the gym and saw me near the team. He walked over and grabbed my hand before walking out.

"Tsuna," I asked, "What's going on?"

He sighed, "I told them that my ankle was sprained from fighting Mochida-sempai, so they let me go to the infirmary…"

I bit my lip, "Please tell me you noticed that the rest of the team were all covered in their own injuries…"

Tsuna nodded, "Y-yeah, I noticed," He replied quietly, "I remembered the captain saying that they were desperate…"

We got outside and stopped at the fountain for Tsuna to wash his face.

"If you run now, everyone's going to lose faith in you, Sasagawa-san too…" I rubbed his back. I heard quiet footsteps coming from behind us.

"Aren't you going home?" It was Reborn-san. Tsuna let out a harsh breath.

"No."

* * *

><p>When we got back to gym, Tsuna went straight to the team, resolve strong in his eyes.<p>

Oooh, poetic. Uh…s-sorry. Hm? O-ow! Wh-wha? Where's that light coming from? I looked up and saw Reborn-san leaning over a railing from the second floor of the gym. He was holding a sniper rifle and aimed it at Tsuna.

I couldn't really see what Reborn-san was really aiming for since the glare from his gun was practically blinding me, but I did hear Tsuna fall and cry out…in…pain…Oh dear god…he's not dying, is he? !

"Sawada?"

"Hey, Sawada, what's wrong?"

"Sawada it's coming for you! Get it!"

"Okay!" Tsuna shouted and jumped…well, now I have a good guess where Reborn shot Tsuna…

* * *

><p>"A 'Jump Shot'?" I asked.<p>

It was after school and Reborn-san had me go over to Tsuna's house so he could explain what happened during the tournament.

Reborn-san nodded, "The effect of the Dying Will Bullet changes depending on where it hits."

"How many other effects does it have?" asked Tsuna.

"The same number as parts of the body, of course," Reborn-san replied.

Huh, that's a pretty versatile bullet…is that what makes this 'Vongola Family' a famous mafia family…? Ah! Wh-what am I thinking!

"Why didn't you tell us about this before, Reborn?" Tsuna exclaimed.

"Because I didn't want you to depend on the bullet to solve all your problems," Reborn-san replied, "But after today, I suppose I don't have to worry so much anymore."

So there _is_ a science behind his insanity…

"Since you know," Reborn-san pulled out a large silver briefcase and picked up a large gun, "Now I can shoot you any time I want," he said with a large smirk.

"Eh…EH? !" Tsuna and I shouted.


	12. Chapter 12

Yesterday was pretty exciting. I'm not sure how much more my heart can take…

But putting that aside, there's a rumor going around that our class is getting a new student today. A _foreign_ student. I hope they're nice.

* * *

><p>It was first period, and the class was abuzz with the news. The girls were hoping the new student would be a handsome guy, and the guys were hoping for a pretty girl.<p>

…You should be glad that I re-worded their descriptions_…_middle-schoolers these days, my goodness. I never thought they could be so…_descriptive_…

"Good morning, everyone!" said the teacher.

"Good morning, sensei!" we all greeted back.

"Now I know you've all heard that our class will be receiving another student, so I'll just go ahead and bring him in," the teacher went to slide open the door and lead the student to the front, "Everyone, this is Gokudera Hayato, who has returned from studying in Italy, I expect everyone to be courteous as Gokudera-kun gets used to being back in Japan."

"Yes, sensei," we replied.

…U-uh…s-scary…I-I'll let Tsuna tell you how th-the new s-student l-looks like while I try to calm my self down…

* * *

><p><strong>Tsuna's Point Of View<strong>

Gokudera Hayato. He has short silver hair and green eyes.

Sorry, I'm not as good as Chi at this, and I'm not feeling very happy right now. Any guy would feel the same if they were hearing what all the girls in class are whispering about right now.

"Wah~ he's so hot~!"

"And he studied abroad~!"

"Would you look at those eyes~!"

"They're gorgeous~!"

"Those _hips_~!"

Hmph…huh?

Kyoko-chan's mesmerized by him too! Agh…great, just great!

This guy kinda creeps me out though…

I'll send you guys back to Chi.

* * *

><p><strong>Chi's Point Of View<strong>

I'm getting the feeling Tsuna was a bit distracted by Sasagawa-san, who's just gazing at Gokudera-san.

With those necklaces around his neck, all those belts, and that glare he's sending out to everyone, he's definitely going to be one of the scary people on my list.

Moving away from my fears, it seems Gokudera-san's walking toward Tsuna's desk.

I'm getting a bad feeling about this…

_Crash!_

EEEEEEP! G-Go-Gokudera-san ju-just kicked over Tsu-Tsuna's desk!

N-ngh…must not pass out in class…must not pass out in class…

"Ahh~ He's so cool~!"

Are you kidding me? He's TERRIFYING!

"His scary side's making me blush~!"

…Wait…what?

* * *

><p>So…guess what?<p>

Yeah, I passed out in class. Hopefully you guys learned that fainting is a normal occurrence for me by now.

I woke up in the nurse's office and, judging by the clock, it's after school…

Eh? …I was out for the whole day? Oh no! Tsuna!

I quickly shot out of the bed and ran outside, but then remembered that I had no clue where Tsuna would be. So I ran back inside and asked the nurse, but she didn't know either!

Agh, Tsuna, where are you?

I ended up just walking around the school, cautiously, I might add. The disciplinary committee would be doing their rounds and some other students might be walking around too. And since I don't feel like being beaten and locked in the broom closet today, I went outside and walked the perimeter of the school's main building. As I turned a corner, I saw Tsuna and Reborn-san talking to the new student, Gokudera-san.

EH? Tsuna? With Gokudera-san?

"Tsu-Tsuna! R-Reborn-san!" I called out, which was probably a bad idea, Gokudera-san looks like he's ready to kill someone…

But I ran over anyways. Hey, if Tsuna needs a shield, why not use me?

Right? Right.

"Chi!" Tsuna shouted, "Should you really be out of bed right now?"

I shouted back, "Forget me! Why does Gokudera-san look like he's ready to kill you?"

One becomes very familiar with looks like that, especially if you see it everyday after school…or in the hallways…or…whenever you're caught alone on campus…

"Chi! Look Out!" Tsuna threw himself at me and got the both of us out of the way from sticks of dynamite.

Wha-? Dynamite?

_Boom!_

We covered our eyes to avoid getting the dirt from the explosion into our eyes. Dynamite, what the heck is going on? H-h-hold on…don't tell me. Is Gokudera-san…?

"Double bomb!" he yelled and pulled out more sticks.

A-a-ah…I was never good at dodging…Ooomph! That was Tsuna pushing me out of the way. I landed next to Reborn-san, who was smart enough to stay out of the line of fire.

…Good thing Tsuna has good reflexes…Oh, Dying Will…again.

"RAAAAAAGH! PUT OUT THE BOMBS WITH MY DYING WILL!" He shouted. Tsuna started jumping around and grabbing the lit fuses with his bare hands. I hope I have the supplies needed to treat burns…

"R-Reborn-san?" I asked, "Wh-what's going on?"

"Gokudera Hayato, also known as Smoking Bomb Hayato, is known to hide a countless number of bombs on his body," Reborn-san explained, "He's here to eliminate No-good Tsuna and try to take his place as a Boss candidate."

"Grr…" Gokudera-san growled, getting frustrated, he pulled out even more sticks of dynamite out of nowhere, "Triple bombs-!"

His hands couldn't hold that much and he ended up dropping ALL the LIT BOMBS around him. Oh no…

"Crap…" Gokudera-san muttered, "I'm done for…"

Fortunately, Tsuna was extinguishing all the dynamite before any of them had a chance to explode. The flame on his forehead slowly went out and he was back to normal. And in his underwear. Oh, he's wearing the striped ones today.

I ran towards them, "A-are you two alright?"

"AMAZING!" shouted Gokudera-san.

"Huh?" I said, oh so intelligently.

"EH?" Tsuna exclaimed in disbelief. Really, who wouldn't, this was someone who was trying to blow us up a few moments ago.

Gokudera-san had fell to his knees and bent over, praising Tsuna, "That was AMAZING! You're definitely worthy of the role of the Vongola Tenth!" He then sat up, admiration written all over his features, "I'll be proud to serve you Tenth!"

"Wh-WHA!" Our jaws dropped open. Reborn-san, who was sitting on my shoulder was nice enough to close my mouth. Tsuna, who was next to me, was freaking out.

"What do you mean by, 'serve me'!" He shouted, tugging at his hair, forgetting that he's still in his boxers. Heeeeey, he's wearing the pair my mom bought him for his birthday.

"The loser serves the winner for life," Reborn-san explained, "It's a Vongola tradition."

"But isn't slavery illegal?" I asked. Stupid idea, Reborn-san kicked me upside the head and knocked me over.

"Quiet, Mifune," he said shortly.

"I-I'm sorry...ow..." I mumbled.

"I never really intended to take the spot for Vongola Tenth," Gokudera-san said, "I had heard that one of the candidates was someone my age, so I had to come and test your skills, and I was more than impressed!"

Gokudera-san then bowed his head, "In return for you risking your life for mine, my life is yours!"

…This is starting to sound like a soap opera.

Tsuna, however, quickly refused, " 'Y-your life'? I-isn't that a little extreme?" he asked shakily.

"Absolutely not!" Gokudera-san answered seriously.

Feeling a bit out of place, I looked around the area we were in and saw some small splatters of blood amongst the debris. Shocked, I immediately looked back at Tsuna and Gokudera-san, noticing their cuts and bruises.

"AAAHH!" I screamed. The two stared at me in shock, not expecting me to make any loud outbursts.

"Ch-Chi, what's wrong?" Tsuna asked, walking up to and lifting a hand, making a motion like he was trying to hold my shoulder.

"B-b-blood-b-bruises!" I managed to say, my throat hurting after the sudden scream I made.

"Tch," Gokudera-san scoffed, "Is that all? I can handle a few scrapes."

"Well done, No-good Tsuna," Reborn-san complimented, "You've gained a follower."

Tsuna glared at the small tutor still sitting on my shoulder, "B-but I don't want a follower!"

"Huh?" a voice said. I froze. I recognized that voice, "Hey brats, don't you know that only third years are allowed to ditch?"

I swallowed thickly and forced myself to turn my head just enough so that I could see who was there.

…Those three…those three…they were the ones who sent me to the hospital a few months ago…

I snapped my head back to its original position, my eyes were wide and I was shaking violently. Luckily, Tsuna didn't like those guys either and was shaking along with me.

"Hey, it's the little yellow-eyed freak," one of them said. I flinched, my breaths became short and choppy.

"You didn't pay Akemi-chan yet, did you?"

Akemi-san was one of the girls who constantly bullied me and beat me for my lunch money. Cliché, I know, but it happens…

Fortunately for us, Gokudera-san was ready to deal with them, taking out two handfuls of dynamite, "Oi, stop bothering the Tenth," he said, he started walking towards them threateningly, his dynamite already lit.

I fainted before Gokudera-san threw his first bomb.

Gokudera-san is pretty interesting. If he's on our (or rather Tsuna's) side, then I guess there isn't much reason to be scared of him…right?

Oh well, I'm sure Tsuna can handle him just fine with Reborn-san's help.

Maybe.


	13. Chapter 13

Ugh, I really don't feel well today…Why?

We're getting our science tests back. And when Tsuna and I get our scores, insults come with them. And they're from our teacher, Nezu-sensei!

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," he said, stopping next to Tsuna's desk, "Let's suppose that there is a student who consistently scores in the 20s and pulls the class average down…"

"E-excuse me?" Tsuna asked quietly.

Sensei adjusted his glasses before continuing, "As one with an _elite_ academic background, I would conjecture that this student is nothing more than a burden to a society that puts a great emphasis on education."

W-wha-How dare he-!

"Is there any reason for such trash to exist?" he asked snidely. The other students began laughing.

"I saw it!"

"Ha! A 26!"

"Guess he's still a loser!"

Urgh…If I knew some good insults, I'd definitely use them to describe him…

"Mifune Chi."

Uh-oh.

"Let's suppose that there is a student who once scored in the 80s then quickly fell to the low 50s…" he said.

I'll tell you guys about this later.

"I would say that this rapid decline in grades would be the result of this student spending too much time around those of low intelligence and should reconsider her taste in friends…"

Feeling a rush of adrenaline and anger, I immediately stood up, slamming my hands on top of my desk.

"I will not stop being friends with Tsuna just because my grades are low!" I shouted, my throat beginning to feel raw. I was panting a bit as I gave the classroom a quick once-over. I saw the others trying to hold in their laughter and I bit my lip, quickly sitting down and burying my head in my arms, my face flushing heavily.

"Chi…" I heard Tsuna murmur quietly.

"Hmph," Nezu-sensei chuckled, "I suppose it should be expected of you, but friendship doesn't help your case…" I heard him carelessly drop my test near my head. I glanced at the score.

48.

I dug my head deeper as the class began laughing again.

"Serves her right!"

"Guess being a bookworm doesn't always mean you're smart!"

"She's such a _freak_!"

"What a weirdo!"

Then amidst the jeers, the classroom door slammed open. Tsuna and I turned our heads to look and, lo and behold, it was Gokudera-san. How odd, he's coming in rather late.

"Gokudera-kun…?" Tsuna murmured.

"Hey!" Sensei shouted, "You're tardy!"

Gokudera-san glared back, "What?"

I shivered. I could feel the murderous intent even though Gokudera-san wasn't looking in our direction.

"Urk!" Sensei flinched, "…J-just sit down…"

Gokudera-san began walking towards Tsuna and I. Well, more towards Tsuna. This was new though, someone making Nezu-sensei flinch…

"Whoa, he scared Nezu-sensei…"

"Didn't you hear? Gokudera beat up those bullies yesterday all by himself!"

Ah, so Sensei must've heard the rumors…

Wait a minute…he's coming towards Tsuna!

"Good morning Boss!" Gokudera-san yelled.

Boss…? Oh, right. 'Mafia'.

"What the…?"

"Are they friends?"

"No way, No-good Tsuna probably just latched onto the new guy."

"Man, what a scaredy-cat…"

Tsuna began to protest, "N-no, i-it-it's not like that!"

And rightly so, Tsuna's not exactly in the best position to be friends with Gokudera-san, who looks like a delinquent.

I-I'm not saying he _is_ one though!

"Let us again suppose," Nezu-sensei said, "that there is a student who's always tardy and this student is without a doubt, friends with a student with terrible test scores and a student who fell out of her teachers' good graces…"

Hey, the librarian still likes me…

"…Why?" he continued, "Because, as they say, birds of a feather flock together, of course."

"Tch!" Gokudera-san scoffed, "Listen up old man," he grabbed Sensei by the collar and picked him up, "No one gets away with insulting Sawada Tsunayoshi, the tenth boss of the Vongola!"

Okay, sure. No need to defend my honor. Nope. Don't even have a single microscopic bit of it left in me. Nuh-uh, _not_ at _all_.

And I don't think mentioning Tsuna's name is a good idea. I looked in front of me, at Tsuna. He was clutching his hair, mentally freaking out, most likely.

Looking back at Sensei, he was freaking out too, except outwardly.

"I-I said, 'S-suppose'! It was only a thought exercise!" Gokudera-san looked back in Tsuna's direction, grinning.

"Hey Boss! You want me to finish this guy off?"

Oh, poor Tsuna…

* * *

><p>"P-Principal! I demand that these three be expelled immediately!" Sensei shouted.<p>

Tsuna, Gokudera-san and I were all in the principal's office, which wasn't surprising considering that Gokudera-san threatened Sensei and manhandled him.

"Nezu-sensei, please calm down," the principal said.

"I will not calm down until these-these criminals get what they deserve!" Sensei's face was turning a darker red.

Criminals?

"Now, now," the principal said, "I think you're being a bit hasty here…"

"So you want to give them a second chance?" Nezu-sensei smirked, "Then why don't we have them dig up the time capsule from 15 years ago?"

"Eh? The time capsule?"

"Yes," he said, "As I recall, we hired a company to dig it up, if we just have these three find it, if they can't, then we can expel them immediately."

"Hm," the principal replied hesitantly, "…I don't see why not…"

E-expelled?

* * *

><p>Bullying, I can handle that.<p>

Beatings, I can handle that.

Hospital visits because of said beatings, I can handle that too.

But, _expulsion_? My mom is worried enough about my social anxiety and how dad's doing, I can't give her another thing to worry over…

"I can't believe this," Tsuna moaned, "I don't want to be expelled! I won't be able to see Kyoko-chan anymore!"

"Tsuna," I said, "If you don't want to be expelled, then all we have to do is look for the 15-year-old time capsule, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Tsuna relented, "But with our luck, I doubt we'll be able to find it…"

"Giving up so easily just because of a time capsule? Guess you're still a loser," said a voice that sounded suspiciously like Reborn-san.

"Eh? Who said that?" I looked around for his signature black fedora.

"Reborn…?" Tsuna whipped his head around and both our gazes landed on the emergency fire cabinet in the hallway. A small latch opened and inside stood a…very tiny Reborn-san…?

"EH?" We shouted.

"Y-you shrank!" Tsuna yelled, "What happened to you?"

A tongue shot out of the tinier Reborn-san and hit Tsuna in the eye.

"GYAAAAH!"

"Ah! Tsuna, are you okay?"

"Seems you've met Leon," The tiny Reborn-san clone changed into a small chameleon and jumped onto the brim of Reborn-san's fedora, who had opened the larger compartment of the cabinet, "He's a shape-shifting chameleon, he also keeps a low profile, so I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't notice him earlier."

"I noticed him!" Tsuna argued.

"A-A shape-shifting chameleon…huh," I looked at the small lizard who stared back with his big reptile-like eyes, "Um…hello, Leon-san…"

He blinked and then stuck his tongue out, hitting my cheek.

"Eeeeeep!" I fell back in surprise.

"Hey Boss."

Hm? That voice is familiar too…

"In here," It was Gokudera-san, who was pushing himself out of the same cabinet.

H-how did he fit in there?

"Wh-what were you doing in there!" Tsuna shouted.

Gokudera-san moved aside to reveal a rather comfy-looking miniature room, "Reborn-san was teaching me all the basics of assassination!" he replied cheerfully.

"Wasn't it uncomfortable in there?" I asked. Once again, an intelligent inquiry, courtesy of Mifune Chi.

"BOSS!" Gokudera-san bowed, his head repeatedly hitting the floor, "I'm terribly sorry! I should have known how much you didn't want to get expelled!"

Ignored once more, wonderful.

"We must find that time capsule!" Gokudera-san continued, "And I have an idea, just leave it to me!"

Tsuna and I gave each other a look. Guess we both have a bad feeling about this…

"We'll just blow up the school ground with these!" he whipped out a large bundle of dynamite and dropped it in Tsuna's hands, "I'll meet you outside Boss!" And he left.

"Wait! Th-this is a really bad idea!" Tsuna shouted.

I took half of the sticks out of his hand, "I don't know Tsuna, as crazy as it sounds, it might work…"

"Don't tell me you're taking his side!" cried Tsuna, his voice taking on a tone of betrayal.

I was quick to speak, terrified of that tone coming from him, "I-I'm just saying that maybe…we'll be able to find the capsule faster this way, you and I both know that neither of us have the upper body strength to use a shovel…"

Before he could speak, we heard faint voices coming from a room a few door down. I think that's the teachers' lounge.

"That was cruel of you Nezu-san," a teacher said, sounding amused, "Making those students find a capsule we never buried."

What?

"Don't blame me!" Nezu-sensei laughed, "It's the principal's fault that he couldn't remember that fifteen years ago we didn't bury one!"

I could feel Tsuna's shock radiating off him.

"Those students will be expelled no matter how hard they try!" Sensei laughed again, "Though I'll probably reconsider…if they spilt the grounds in half in desperation."

"That's not fair!" we shouted.

_BOOM!_

"Huh?" Tsuna and I ran towards the window to see what was going on, but our vision was being obstructed by clouds of smoke.

"He-he's actually doing it!" Tsuna cried.

"I hope he's not getting hurt…" I murmured. I forgot to stock my first aid kit with more gauze.

"Aaaaagh!" Tsuna fell to his knees, "This is it, we'll get kicked out for sure!"

I kneeled down to try and comfort him, but then I felt a weight on my head and the click of a gun. I-is Reborn-san using me as a stepping stone again?

"Gokudera doesn't think so," he said, pointing a green pistol at Tsuna's forehead, "There must be a way to avoid expulsion, don't you think?" And he pressed the trigger.

"RAAAAAGH! REBORN!" Tsuna shouted, "DIG UP THE CAMPUS WITH MY DYING WILL!" Then he ran off, dragging me along.

Don't get sick, don't get sick, don't get sick.

He ran all the way to the courtyard and let me go. Surprisingly, I was able to hold on to the bundle of dynamite. He slid along the ground as Leon-san jumped on his arm and transformed into…are those rods?

"There you are Boss!" Gokudera-san shouted amongst the explosions.

"If there's a weak spot in the ground, I'll find it!" Tsuna screamed.

"Re-_cough_-Reborn-san," I choked on the smoke, "What did Leon-san just-_cough_- do?"

"He can transform into anything he's familiar with," Reborn-san explained, "as long as it's roughly his size though."

The rods in Tsuna's hands were quivering, "I FOUND IT!" He brought his arm up, attempting to punch into the ground. I heard a few clicks from Reborn-san who was still on top of my head. He shot four bullets into Tsuna's body, three along his arm, one in his spine.

"EH?" I flinched. Being shot in the spine, w-won't that…

"It'll be fine," Reborn-san reassured me, "Don't worry."

"I'll help too, Boss!" Gokudera-san shouted, throwing more dynamite throughout the area.

"Aren't you going to use those Mifune?" Reborn-san nodded his head towards the bombs currently resting in my lap.

"Ah…" I began to sweat, "I-I don't know what to light them up with…"

"Just throw them, it'll be fine." So I did.

Apparently at the right time too, Gokudera-san had just thrown another handful, and when they all blew up, the ground had begun to shake. I looked up and saw some of the students look outside and shouting things that I couldn't really hear.

"Tsuna!" I shouted, waving away the dust that was kicked up in the explosions, "Gokudera-san! Where are you!"

I could hear Tsuna call out before Nezu-sensei rushed out of the building.

"Gokudera! Sawada! Mifune!" he shouted, "Those delinquents will pay!"

The three of us (at least I think we all did, the was still some smoke) turned around and saw Sensei run out of the building. Gokudera-san stalked up to him, holding a handful of papers (tests?) in one hand and a capsule in the other. He held them up to Sensei who gawked.

"Wh-what is thi-?" he was cut off.

"The time capsule from fifteen years ago didn't turn up," Gokudera-san explained, "but the one from forty years ago did!" he held a dark look on his face.

"An elite academic, huh? Then how come your _low_ test scores are from a crappy junior high like ours?"

All Nezu-sensei could do was stumble over his words.

W-wow…I can't believe I didn't faint yet with all this excitement…

* * *

><p>Nezu-sensei was fired and was ordered to clean out his desk by the end of the day. Huh, that was pretty quick.<p>

The three of us were back in the principal's office. He apologized and let us off.

Yes! No expulsion!

We left the office and headed back to class while Tsuna and I both let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew!" Tsuna breathed, "We didn't get expelled!"

"Now my mom won't have to worry…" I sighed.

"Come on, Boss, were you really that worried?" Gokudera-san asked, "I would've given my life to make sure nothing bad would happen to you."

"G-Gokudera-kun…" Tsuna stared.

Although I was a bit hurt at being ignored, I just smiled. Hey, I should be used to it.

"Good job, Tsuna," Reborn-san congratulated, standing on my shoulder, "You've found a trustworthy soldier."

"Huh?" he flushed a bit in anger, "I don't need soldiers, Reborn! If this 'mafia' stuff gets any bigger, Kyoko-chan will stay further away!"

I rubbed his shoulder, "I'm sure it'll be fine Tsuna."

Tsuna groaned lowly in response.

"Oh yeah!" Gokudera-san dug into his pockets and took out some folded papers, "The tests here are pretty easy, huh?" The tests he held out all had hundreds.

…Now this is just absurd…

* * *

><p>Remember how I didn't faint after all that dynamite throwing? Well, I suppose my mind had yet to catch up to everything. Soooo…<p>

Trip to the nurse, yay!

…I say with heavy sarcasm.

Honestly, fainting this much can really mess with your sense of time.

I woke up awhile after the final bell, so I could probably find Tsuna near the classroom or at the school library waiting for me.

I thanked the nurse and went on my way. I was walking toward the library and was in an empty hallway. Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine.

…Oh god…no, please, not today…!

I tried to walk, run, crawl-_anything_, just to get away, but my legs refused to move.

"Thought we'd find you here, _freak_."

I heard footsteps behind me. If I was hearing right, there were about three people.

"We've noticed how friendly you've been getting with Gokudera-kun," one girl hissed.

Another girl grabbed my shoulder and threw me against the wall. My head banged on it as I slid to the floor, my body still not moving the way I wanted it to.

"Don't think that you'll get away with it so easily, _Weirdo_."

I felt myself beginning to breathe harder. Please, _please_, just leave me alone…

I chanced a peek and saw a fist flying towards me. Everything else was a blur, but I felt kicks and scratches and the next thing I knew I was being thrown into a broom closet.

My eyes widened. I tried pushing myself up and saw the girls closing the door. I was shaking all over. This particular closet doesn't have a working light, I remembered from past incidents. It wasn't very used either and only locked from the outside. So when the door closed…

…I completely lost it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Gokudera's POV**

I was frowning as I walked around the campus. Boss wanted me to help him find that one woman who kept following him around. He was worried when she didn't show up at the library for awhile.

Tch, that stupid woman. Who does she think she is, making the Tenth worry like that!

I turned into another hallway and heard some faint pounding and thumps.

…Seriously? Are the idiots here really doing _that_?

I growled quietly and started walking faster to get through this hall, but then I heard something else.

"_Help please! Let me out! Someone please! Help! Please!"_

I raised an eyebrow and looked at the doorknob, briefly ignoring the screams and pounding. It probably only locked from the outside. I turned the lock on the shaking knob and was immediately assaulted by the very person the Tenth and I were looking for.

I fell to the floor, landing on my behind, bringing the stupid woman with me.

She was crying her eyes out, and hiccupping every once in awhile, just hanging off me. I looked around, seeing if anyone else was there. Seeing no one, I hesitantly raised my arm and slowly (read awkwardly) patted her head until she calmed down.

…

…Stupid idiot, she fell asleep.

I let out an angry sigh and looked up. I caught sight of the closet she was in.

It was a wreck.

Brooms and mops were all broken in half, bottles of cleaning solution were splattered across the floor, all the shelves were askew and there was broken glass everywhere inside.

I took some deep breaths trying to calm down and not disturb her since the Tenth was already worried about her. I shifted around and managed to get her on my back. I got up and headed back to the library (if you could even call it that) planning to meet up with the Tenth (and let him see just how much of a great right-hand man I can be!).

* * *

><p><strong> Tsuna's POV<strong>

I didn't have any luck in finding Chi. Gokudera-kun and I had already checked with the nurse and she told us that Chi was looking for us. Hm…this is putting a bad taste in my mouth. I decided to go back to the library and see if Gokudera-kun did better.

On my way back I spotted three girls walking downstairs. They were laughing and flipping their hair over their shoulders. I almost didn't give them any thought, but then I recognized them.

They were the three girls that always picked on Chi.

Oh no.

I ran back to the library and almost crashed into Gokudera-kun.

"Ah!" I cried, "Gokudera-kun, we need to find her no-!" I stopped. On his back was Chi who was passed out.

Gokudera-kun was grinning, "Tenth!" he shouted. I was worried that he might wake her up, but Chi didn't stir, "I found her in a broom closet!"

Broom closet? So it _was_ them.

I bit the inside of my cheek, "Th-thank you, Gokudera-kun," I said, "L-let's bring her back to my house, if Auntie Makoto saw her like this, she'd throw a fit."

We went to our shoe lockers and went home, where Reborn was waiting for us.

* * *

><p>Luckily, my mom wasn't home yet, probably grocery shopping or spending time with Auntie Makoto.<p>

We went up to my room and Gokudera-kun put Chi on my bed, a bit reluctantly, saying:

"But what if she stains your sheets, Tenth?"

I could really care less, Chi was out cold and needed a proper bed. When we were settled down the both of us got a good look at her.

I winced. And out of the corner of my eye, I could see Gokudera-kun frown, whether it was in worry or annoyance I couldn't tell.

She was covered in bruises and scratches, some were still bleeding, and the skin around her left eye was turning purple. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but I don't think anyone could get used to seeing their best friend being hurt, even though we both get bullied and beat up practically every other week.

"Gokudera-kun," I said quietly, "Can you keep an eye on her while I get the first aid kit?"

"W-wait Tenth!" he shouted, "Let me get it! Where is it!"

After some hesitation, I told him and I was then left alone with Chi. I let out a sigh and held her hand, rubbing the back of it gently and feeling a very faint scar that was left there from a past beating.

Gokudera-kun came back and cleaned the wounds we could see, letting my mom take care of the rest when she came home.

* * *

><p><strong> Chi's POV<strong>

I woke up feeling groggy and sore. I looked around and noted that I was in Tsuna's room.

…What happened…?

Ah, right.

After trying to beat the door to death and shouting myself hoarse, the door opened and I jumped at Gokudera-san. He must've unlocked the door. Oh dear, I better apologize the next time I see him.

Feeling myself wake up a bit more, I heard some video game sounds coming from my left. It was Tsuna, he was trying to get past the level we were both working so hard to beat.

"Tsuna…" I whispered. He dropped the controller in surprise and immediately sat next to me.

"You okay?" he asked. I nodded, feeling a little stiff. I looked at my hand and saw some bandages. I gave him a questioning look.

"Gokudera-kun and I took care of the ones we could see, my mom got the rest," he explained.

"I see…" I mumbled, my voice sounding scratchy.

"I-I'll get you some water!" and off he went. I turned my head and stared blankly at the ceiling, feeling a pulsing soreness from my left eye.

"If you don't get any stronger, you can't be part of Tsuna's famiglia," spoke a familiar voice.

"Reborn-san…" He was standing on top of Tsuna's desk, his head was tilted, letting the rim of his hat shadow his eyes.

"You're his best friend," he continued, "so he'll need to be able to trust you to protect yourself and others." Still a bit dazed, I let my eyes wander towards his hat, Leon-san was staring back at me.

I frowned, "I can't fight."

"Can't or won't?"

Perhaps it was because I was still pretty out of it, but I answered without thinking, "Both."

Before either of us could say anything further, Tsuna came back in, carrying a tray with snacks and drinks.

"Hehehe, sorry for the wait, my mom wanted to make sure you got something to eat," he laughed. I sat up with some help from Tsuna and we started to eat, talking about the video game he was playing earlier, the both of us purposefully avoiding the topic of today. Reborn-san then jump-kicked Tsuna, scolding him about something, I wasn't really listening, either way, I freaked out about him getting kicked upside the head.

* * *

><p>As the sun was beginning to set, Tsuna walked me home and after saying our goodbyes, I went inside…<p>

"Oh, sweetheart!" …and was suddenly attacked by my mom, "Chi, sweetie, are you alright?" Her eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"I'm fine, Mom," I said, voice still a little hoarse, "I'm kinda tired, but I'm fine."

She let out a sigh and held me close, "Sweetheart, are you sure you don't want me to tell the school?"

I felt my heart skip a beat, "NO, Mom, please, don't call the school, they'll just start ganging up on me more!" 'They' being the other students.

She bit the inside of her lip, "Then, maybe you could reconsider…" she let out another sigh, "Ah, what am I saying, I can't let you go to a different school and have you separated from Tsuna-kun, can I?"

I shook my head, gripping her tightly. She starting stroking my hair and began to slowly rock side to side. Conversations like this were commonplace after my test scores went down and I came home all bruised and cut up. My mom would think about calling the school, I'd freak, she'd talk about sending me to a different school, and we'd both agree to disagree.

She was grateful for Tsuna, who helped cure my phobia of people somewhat. So we both thought it'd be a good idea for me to help Tsuna with studying. Now, you guys know my test scores aren't the best, my mind goes blank before every test. My earlier test scores I got with pure luck. I know the material, but I forget it when I actually need to apply what I know. It has nothing to do with Tsuna, just my nerves.

After a few minutes, she started talking again.

"Are you hungry, sweetheart?"

I nodded, my head still pressed against her collar, "Just a little."

She pushed some of my hair behind my ear and held me at a close distance, looking at me with warm eyes. It was almost like looking into a mirror. Except she was older than me and her hair stopped about an inch above her shoulders, not to mention more life in her eyes compared to me and she was a lot prettier.

"I'll cook up a light dinner then, you go take a shower," she kissed my forehead, "Okay?"

I nodded again, and she left me to go up to my room.

With a mom like mine, how did I get so screwed up?

* * *

><p>I was walking over to Tsuna's so we could walk to school and saw Gokudera-san standing at the gate. Good, now's my chance to apologize. I stopped near him and opened my mouth to talk, but was interrupted.<p>

"The Tenth doesn't need a weak woman like you." Was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

"Eh?" I blinked. Gokudera-san turned to look, or rather, glare at me.

"You made him worry about you yesterday," he accused, "Stop bothering the Tenth!"

Now, I'm usually a very submissive person. I'm willing to just let people do as they will, hence me becoming a regular at the hospital. So, instead of trying to defend myself like most people would do, I just let him keep throwing insults. You know, to help him calm down. It's very scary having someone like him yelling in your face. With his emerald green eyes flaring and his silver hair blinding you as it flies around catching the light.

It's looks very nice and soft…

U-uh, I mean, scary…yeah.

"Got anything to say for yourself, Stupid Woman?" he finished. I just bowed down, holding my posture at a ninety-degree angle, responding immediately.

"I'm sorry for making you carry me all the way to Tsuna's house," I apologized, "and for making Tsuna worry so much." I stood up straight again, but then I remembered something else, and bowed down again, catching Gokudera-san off-guard.

"Also, my name is Mifune Chi, it's nice to meet you, Gokudera-san." I stood straight.

"Tch," he scoffed, "You better be apologize to the Tenth too, Stupid Woman."

Hmmm, I really shouldn't let the fact that he didn't want to know my name bother me, but if he's going to be hanging around Tsuna (which includes being around me too since the two of us are practically attached at the hip) it'd be polite to at least call me by my last name.

Oh well, I better get inside, see if Tsuna's doing okay. I knocked on the front door, feeling Gokudera-san's presence behind me.

"Ah, good morning, Chi-chan~!" Nana-san greeted. I smiled back.

"Good morning, Nana-san," I bowed, "Is Tsuna awake?"

She nodded, "Mm-hm! Why don't you come inside, ah! You too, Gokudera-kun!"

We left our shoes at the door and Gokudera-san walked quickly up the stairs to Tsuna's room. I was walking a bit slowly, still feeling a bit sore from yesterday. When I finally got to his door, Gokudera-san sped out and left the house.

That's odd…

But I continued inside Tsuna's room.

"Good morning, Tsuna," I greeted, not at all bothered by the half-naked boy in front of me. Hey, we used to take baths together all the time as kids. His body didn't change as much as mine, I should be more worried about Tsuna seeing _me_ half-naked now. Though, I'm still pretty flat...

"Hey, Chi," he said, now taking off his pants, I turned around to give him some privacy, "How're you feeling today?"

"Much better," I said, "Sorry for causing trouble yesterday."

"It's fine, what're best friends for?" Hearing the pants zipper being pulled up, I turned around, now he was frantically searching for his shirt.

"What did Gokudera-san say before running off?" I asked, picking up the shirt he was looking for from the back of his desk chair and giving it to him.

"Um," Tsuna slipped his arms through the short sleeves, "Something about stocking up his dynamite supply, he's not going to school today."

I could tell he let out a mental sigh of relief. But then he looked at me a bit worriedly, "You okay, Chi?" he asked, "You seem bothered by something."

I do? Well, my forehead _does_ feel furrowed.

"I need to stop fainting so much."

A short pause. Then we both let out a laugh.

"We had this conversation before, Chi," said Tsuna, tying his tie with a bit of difficulty.

"I know, but Reborn-san and Gokudera-san both said I'm weak, which is true, so don't try and deny it," I replied, helping Tsuna with his tie.

"Let's hope Reborn doesn't put you through his crazy training like he's doing with me," he sighed.

"'Crazy Training'?"

Reborn-san jumped out from behind Tsuna and kicked him on the back of his head, letting me catch him.

"What are you calling 'crazy', No-good Tsuna," Reborn-san said with a malicious smirk on his face, "Hurry up, I'm not going to have my student be late for school."

Needless to say, we both ran. Mainly because Reborn-san was brandishing a gun and pointing it at us, already shooting.

It's a wonder how Nana-san doesn't give a second thought about all this.

* * *

><p>Fortunately, I managed to avoid the girls from yesterday, and most of my other bullies.<p>

Ah, it's good to blend in with the background.

What's not so good is P.E., the girls had to run today. Ugh, my legs, my lungs-oh wait, I was coughing them up earlier, I don't have lungs anymore.

Cue forced laughs. Oh self, your jokes are painful to listen to. Ahahaha…ha.

Ahem, anyway, after the girls were called in, I limped to the boys' side of the field. They were playing baseball today.

I ran out to the field to help Tsuna clean up when I saw Yamamoto Takeshi already helping him. They seemed to be talking about something serious, if Yamamoto-san's face was anything to go by.

Yamamoto Takeshi is one of, if not, _the_ most popular boy at Namimori Middle. A happy-go-lucky type of guy who can get along with almost anyone and has a constant hundred-watt grin on his face, somewhat tan from all his baseball practices and games. He's also our school's top baseball player.

Easily one of the most terrifying people on my never-ending list.

…Ngh, j-just suck it up…just…settle down…Oh, good he turned around.

"Tsuna," I called out. He looked at me and waved me over.

"There're some baseballs over by the bleachers," he said. I nodded, "Hey, Chi, you wouldn't mind helping me with our science homework would you?"

"Not at all, you know I'm always willing to help."

"Hey!" I jumped. Who said that? "You wouldn't mind helping me too, would you?"

I turned around, it was Yamamoto Takeshi. I froze up. Oh, hello fading sight, _so_ nice to see you again. And down I go.

* * *

><p>Tsuna freaked out a bit from seeing Chi faint. Yamamoto bent down giving the fainted girl a once over.<p>

"Is she okay?" he asked. Tsuna gave a shaky laugh.

"Y-Yeah, this usually happens when she's around people she doesn't know very well, eheheheh…" Tsuna rubbed the back of his head.

Yamamoto grinned, "Hahaha, really?"

Tsuna nodded.

"Hm," Yamamoto held his chin, "Well, you guys seem pretty close since you guys didn't use any suffixes, how long have you guys known each other?"

"Ah, about ten years now?" Tsuna guessed, "Give or take a year."

"Hahaha! That's a pretty long time!" Yamamoto laughed.

"Y-yeah, u-um, do you mind helping me give Chi some air?" He asked, using his hand to fan his best friend.

"I don't mind at all!"

Tsuna made sure to keep an eye out for any one who would try to hurt Chi, since she was so close to Yamamoto at the moment.

"So Tsuna!" Yamamoto said, "You think hard work will get my batting average up again?"

"H-huh?" Tsuna stuttered, "Y-yeah…of course."

"Hahaha! Alrighty then!"

* * *

><p>The older I get the more annoying fainting is becoming. I mean, is my mentality really that weak?<p>

Yes, yes it is.

All that teasing and name-calling and rocks being thrown at me, I can't become numb to that.

Stupid pain sensors…messing with my life...Just who do they think they are?

Moving on, when I woke up, Tsuna told me that Yamamoto-san had left to go practice baseball some more and we were free to go home.

He's going to practice more? But it's getting kind of late. Then again, Yamamoto-san _is_ the best player at our school, and probably the entire town.

…But too much practicing can really put a strain on your body…

* * *

><p>Guess what time it is?<p>

Sleepover Time!

Yes, I don't care if I sound childish right now, Tsuna and I can finally get past that level!

"You seem awfully excited, Tsuna," Reborn-san commented.

"Why wouldn't I be!" Tsuna began button mashing as we were fighting a boss, "The most popular guy in our class asked me for advice! _Me_! It was awesome!" Music played after we landed the final hit on the boss.

"Yeah!" we cheered.

"After two weeks…" I muttered darkly, "We finally beat him…"

"I know…" Tsuna said in the same tone.

Reborn-san interrupted our celebration, "So about Yamamoto…"

"You mean you already knew!" Tsuna shouted. I smiled weakly and patted Tsuna's shoulder, grabbing my cup of water of the table in the middle of the room.

"…Make him one of your men," Reborn-san finished. I choked on the water while Tsuna got upset.

"What! No way!" Tsuna shouted, "I'm not gonna make Yamamoto give up baseball for the-the Mafia!"

"Don't disobey your elders," said Reborn-san, and he proceeded to kick Tsuna in the head. Again.

* * *

><p>After cleaning up we got ready for bed. Reborn-san was already asleep in his own bed…somewhere in this room.<p>

Tsuna and I were lying next to each other, staring up at the ceiling, watching the streetlights from the outside filling the darkened room.

"You're not really going to talk to Yamamoto-san about this mafia stuff, are you?" I asked quietly.

Tsuna grumbled, "I don't want to, but knowing Reborn, I'll end up including him somehow…" his eyes darkened in worry.

I took his hand and squeezed, "If that happens, I'm sure you'll be able to do something to keep Yamamoto-san happy. I'll help you too."

He squeezed back and looked at me, "Thanks, Chi."

We slid our heads closer together, until the sides tapped against each other.

"What are friends for?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: I apologize for the slow progression of character growth and plot, but at this point in the story, Chi is still trying to get used to Reborn and is currently unaware that her feelings for Tsuna as a friend are slowly turning into something else.<strong>

**Also, I deeply apologize for not making the effort of thanking all of you who read this, reviewers, story 'alerters'/ 'favoriters', and ghost readers:**

**Long live marshmallows, AccessBlade, LifeIsARayOfSunshine, SweetzJunkie, Viper'sGirl, MissDinosaur, 7black7, Moonlight phonex101,**

** TheSteelFlameAlchemist, Anarchy Stocking, Angelbeets, ZacharyStella, April Marciano, Serendipital, FreeHugs0009, Sltealthclaw, sKitLZ-cHAn,**

** trollypop, Leo-in-Wonderland, Shinsou, Kanashimi, Inoue Orihime15, Sayonara Yasashii Akumu, Ohtherawrness, Katsu Lover, UmiNight Angel**

** Neko, Vnienhuis, Twilight Dark Angel, DarknessPwnsLight, AnimeCrazy88, KuroMimi-chan, Princess Alice Rose, Cherry Mustang, Renrinrin,**

** LocoWill, Rena Talmay, Dragonet-Dialga123, SaChan22, Devonlizz, suntan140, nyssasam123, Yamiroo Alice, 19Maddogzu95, Sylanc, EnyBac,**

** SilverStar56, steel-alchemist, Maichiru Sakura, forgottentears6, tamashii kage, Summon Beast Ruruka, iSpirit, yamiarsenal, suney,**

** romeoandcinderella, gOthiCkUrOcHo69, Jolly88404, dawn08, xxHinaAngelxx, OtakuDino, hayato bomber, Ginga no Yousei, artemis001, wolfcrys,**

** Loumaria, Kohanita, HibariTsunayoshi-kun, Ahoshi-chan, Doreen769, Gwenny-dear, What'sMyName'sBusiness, Rubberxduckies12**

**And thank you, who ever else I missed. Thank you so much for reading.**


	15. Chapter 15

It was morning again at school. During break there was a sudden commotion outside the classroom. There were students running down the halls, most of them looking worried. One of them slammed open the door and shouted:

"There's an emergency! Yamamoto-kun's going to jump off the school roof!"

There was a burst of activity soon after.

"What!"

"No way!"

"Yamamoto-kun? Seriously?"

"He's not the type to do that!"

"Don't joke about that!"

"I'm serious!" the student exclaimed, "He stayed late after school to practice alone, but he overdid it and fractured his arm!"

Stayed late…?

Before my thoughts could go any further, I felt Tsuna grab my arm. I looked at him, he was turning paler than me.

"Is…is it my fault?" he whispered.

"Tsuna, what happened yesterday?"

As he quietly explained that he told Yamamoto-san to work harder to raise his batting average, the class quickly deserted the room.

"Sawada-kun!" Sasagawa-san called out, "Let's go!"

"A-ah! W-we'll catch up!" he stuttered back. I gave Tsuna a curious look, he grimaced and we both ran to the roof, following the crowd of students.

As soon as we stepped onto the roof, Tsuna pulled me behind the entrance building.

"I never should have said those things in the first place!" he tugged at his hair, "I don't even work hard! I'm a hypocrite!"

"Tsuna, as much as I'd like to calm you down right now, can I remind you that we're kind of short on time?" I said.

"She's right, you know," said a voice from behind us.

We turned around to find out that it was Reborn-san, who was currently pointing a gun at us, "If you want to help Yamamoto, don't run."

I flinched, but Tsuna was quick enough to pull me away and drag the both of us into the crowd. Unfortunately, Tsuna ran into another student and we ended up skidding across the floor and a stopping a few feet away from Yamamoto-san. When we managed to gather our bearings, we started to panic. Mainly because Tsuna was in Yamamoto-san's line of sight and I was in front of a crowd of people.

"Tsuna, Chi," Yamamoto-san said, turning to look at the boy on the ground, "If you guys came here to stop me, don't. You of all people should understand how I feel."

"Eh?" We replied. Well, I do understand, but I go about this in a different way.

"They call you, 'Loser Tsuna', and, 'Freak', you guys must know how it feels when everything goes wrong and you think you'd be better off dead, right?"

…I…I'd really prefer not to talk about this. Remembering what it feels like to stare at what's going to just end it all…i-it's a very…liberating…but, _terrifying_ feeling…

"Y-Yamamoto-kun…I…we're different…" Tsuna trailed off. That didn't seem to be the reply Yamamoto-san wanted or expected, because he began to glare at us.

"So what? Just because things are looking up for you guys, now you think you guys are some big shots? Is that how it is? Now you guys do everything right?" His voice was rising.

"N-No!" we shouted.

"It's because we ARE losers!" Tsua continued, "We've never invested our lives into anything like you, Yamamoto-kun! I…I just wanted to cheer you up, to-to help you so I said things about working hard, when I've never worked hard at anything!"

And considering I was locked in a broom closet after being kicked around and scratched up yesterday, I don't think my life has gotten any better. But, Yamamoto-san doesn't know about that, so there's no reason for me to get upset.

Tsuna let out a heavy breath and bowed his head, "E-everything I said was just…I'm sorry!"

I stepped closer to Tsuna letting him remember that he wasn't standing there alone, and not wanting to put my hand on his shoulder and make Sasagawa-san think he was involved with me.

"Unlike you, I've never felt angry enough that I wanted to die or kill myself…" Tsuna confessed, "I've never felt anything like that."

I wish I could say the same…

"I mean, I'm a loser. I really only look back at my life when I'm facing my own death, I think about all the things I wanted to do, things I wish I'd done…but this…it's not worth taking your life." Tsuna sighed, 'Th-that's why I can't understand…I'm sorry."

He then grabbed my wrist and started to run towards the door. But Yamamoto-san reached for the back of his collar and pulled us back. We crashed into the fence that lined the roof and the section we were at broke off. I gasped and as soon as I felt my body leave the roof, I made a grab at the edge and somehow managed to catch Tsuna and Yamamoto-san with my legs while hanging off the edge of the roof.

"Ch-Chi!" Tsuna shouted.

This was all very painful. My hands just barely hanging on, my legs bent to I could hold Tsuna and Yamamoto-san. Oh god…please, don't let me slip…

"Chi!" Yamamoto-san shouted. I could feel the cast around his arm touching my ankle.

Oh god…I'm scared…my legs starting to get weak…my hands were slipping…oh god…I'm starting to cry…huh?

…No…no…NO!

My hands had slipped off and we continued falling. Suddenly I heard a gunshot and Tsuna caught Yamamoto-san and I and we bounced off the ground.

Yes, you heard right. Bounced.

"SAVE CHI AND YAMAMOTO-KUN WITH MY DYING WILL!" was what Tsuna was screaming while we were in mid-air

I laid on my back, staring up at the sky, my eyes still watery.

"Chi! Yamamoto-kun!" Tsuna shouted.

"Heh," Yamamoto-san chuckled, "Tsuna, Chi, you guys are awesome."

"Huh?" we replied. I was still pretty dazed and in immense pain, and Tsuna was still in his boxers.

"You're right," said Yamamoto-san, "I should give it my all, like my life depends on it."

He let out a sheepish laugh, "I don't know what got into me. There's no telling what an idiot like me might do when I'm depressed."

Well if he's an 'idiot' like me, I have a few ideas…

Ignoring that, I started laughing with them. Feeling relieved that Tsuna and Yamamoto-san were both safe.

Unfortunately, Tsuna had to walk through the hallways to the student store to get another uniform in his boxers. Poor Tsuna…well, at least that incident did away with most of the morning.

* * *

><p>I was in the bathroom, sitting on the tiled floor. My breathing was shaky as I stared at something I was holding in my hands. Why is everything so blurry? I squinted then clenched my eyes shut when they caught something shining. Then I felt my hands moving on their own. My right hand was gripping that shining thing and bringing it towards my left wrist.<p>

…!

A razorblade? Wh-what's going on…?

I had no control of my right hand I soon found out, when I tried to move it away from my wrist. My breathing was getting heavier and the usually cool bathroom was feeling hot. I could only stare wide-eyed as my hand started pressing the blade into my wrist…

…Then I woke up.

I was breathing heavier than I was in the dream (nightmare?), and I immediately brought up my left hand and tugged down the sleeve, finding no evidence of a cut.

I relaxed a bit, still tense. I looked at the digital clock on my nightstand next to my bed.

Three in the morning.

I fell back on my bed, and turned to stare at my cell phone on the same nightstand, contemplating about whether or not I should call Tsuna.

I let out a quiet, aggravated sigh.

It had been two years since I last cut myself, and I promised myself not to do it anymore, for the sake of my parents and Tsuna and his family, even if they would never know. I never cut my wrists, but I did cut at my thighs, and a few times on my stomach, places where people don't usually think to look.

I admit, I'm not proud of what I did. It was in my moments of weakness. Now, I'm left with a nice, little reminder.

I clutched my blanket and picked up my cell phone, flipping it open and called Tsuna.

_Riiing Riiing Riiing Rii-_

"Ngh…hello…?" came Tsuna's groggy voice.

"Tsuna?" I whispered, "I'm sorry for waking you up."

"Mnn, it's fine," he said, sounding a little more awake, "Were you having trouble sleeping again?"

"Y-yeah…" I replied quietly, "Can…can I…come over?"

I heard Tsuna let out a stifled yawn, "Yeah, sure, but, are you sure you don't want me to come over to your place?"

"I'm sure, besides, I woke you up, I shouldn't make you walk all the way to my house."

He gave a sleepy chuckle, "You're only a few houses away, it's not far at all."

I frowned, "I'm going over to your house, no ifs, ands, or buts."

We both laughed quietly. Tsuna gave the okay and hung up and I wrote a note and left it on my door so my mom would see it in the morning.

Putting on my grey jacket and sneakers, I quickly left the house and walked in a fast pace to Tsuna's.

Upon reaching my destination, Tsuna was already opening the door, and leading me towards the kitchen, giving me a warm cup of tea. We both went into the living room and sat down on the couch, wrapping a thick blanket that Tsuna brought from his room around ourselves. We didn't talk, we just took in each others' company. I barely drank half of my tea before Tsuna and I nodded off, leaning against each other.

Please, no more nightmares, at least not tonight.

…

The next morning Tsuna and I woke up around nine. Good thing it was a weekend.

"Any nightmares, Chi?" Tsuna asked. I shook my head.

"None, I didn't dream of anything, you?" Seeing his face flush a bit, I immediately retracted my question, "Nevermind, I don't think I want to know."

After agreeing that we were both feeling a little lazy today, I decided to go back to my place, giving Nana-san and Reborn-san a 'good morning' and a 'goodbye' before leaving.

* * *

><p><strong> Tsuna's POV<strong>

I sighed when Chi left. She's been having constant nightmares for as long as I've known her. But they had gotten worse the last two years, although, she doesn't cry as much as she used to whenever she woke up from one.

"No-good Tsuna."

Urk! The devil's awake…

"Oof!" I grunted when Reborn kicked me in the shoulder, "Wh-what was that for?"

"You weren't dreaming about Sasagawa Kyoko. Were you?" he asked.

H-how'd he know?

"I overheard your conversation." Again, with the mind-reading. Why does he have to be so creepy! Suddenly I was hit upside the head with a giant rubber mallet.

"Don't insult your elders," he said.

"What elders? All I see is baby in front of me!"

"You were dreaming about Chi, weren't you?"

I felt my face getting warm. Not from embarrassment, but from the fact that Reborn knew so much about me.

And yes, I did dream about Chi. But it wasn't anything good, she was crying. We were in a dark room, she was on her knees, covering her eyes and there was something red running down her arms.

I blushed when she asked me if I dreamed about anything last night because if I told her that my dream was about her, she might have taken it the wrong way.

Oh well, it's the weekend, time to get lazier than usual!

* * *

><p><strong> Chi's POV<strong>

Stepping inside my house, I was hit with the delicious smell of breakfast. Broiled fish with rice and a side of miso soup. Mmm. My mom makes the best broiled fish, she salts it just right so it's not too salty and you get the perfect amount of grilled flavor.

Ah, I'm salivating already…

"Good morning, sweetie!" my mom greeted, "How was your late night sleepover?"

"It was nice," I said, "That reminds me, I need to change my bedding."

"Oh?" Mom asked, "Was it too cold in your room last night?"

"Kind of," I replied.

"Well then, we can do that when we're cleaning the house today!" she exclaimed, "Sit down Chi-sweetheart, breakfast is just about done!"

Mmm, broiled fish…

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Tsuna called me to tell me everything that happened to him today.<p>

"H-hold on, Tsuna!" I stuttered, "Slow down!"

He took a few breaths, "Sorry, Chi…it's just, today was the most horrible day of my life!"

I let out a breath as I leaned against my headboard, placing the book I was reading in my lap, "It's okay, just start over, and start speaking slowly. We have time."

As he was explaining, his voice would get squeaky and he'd start talking faster, with me periodically asking him to slow down.

"Um, okay," I rubbed my forehead, "Let's see if I got everything: Reborn-san interrupted your manga-time, telling you he invited Sasagawa-san over as a thank you for getting him coffee."

"Uh huh."

"Then your mom came in and started teasing you about being a clumsy, no-good teenager."

"In front of the girl I like."

"In front of the girl you like," I repeated, feeling a foreign emotion causing my lungs to feel like they collapsed for a few seconds, "then he set up a game of Russian Roulette after Nana-san left."

"Uh huh."

"And when it was Sasagawa-san's turn, there was an actual bullet in the gun, and she shot it in her head."

"Yeah, and it was a Dying Will bullet."

"Okay, so it made her go into that 'Dying Will Mode', and she went down into the kitchen and threatened your mom into apologizing."

Tsuna sighed before answering, "Y-yeah…"

"Then Reborn-san took out a giant mallet and hit Sasagawa-san causing the bullet to come flying out of her head which then led to her becoming unconscious and she was taken home by Reborn-san."

"Yeah…"

"You're holding something back, Tsuna." I heard him fall over from whatever it was he was sitting on.

"H-how'd you know!"

"Think about how long we've known each other, Tsuna."

"O-oh, right…"

"I heard you fall, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…"

"Now what are you hiding?"

"E-eh…" I then heard him drop his head against a hard surface, probably his desk, "Kyoko-chan totally rejected me!"

I blinked, sitting up straight, I replied simply, "Eh?"

"My mom was just teasing by saying Kyoko-chan was a good girlfriend and when she was harassing my mom, she told her to take it back!"

"I see…" I mumbled, "Well, maybe she didn't necessarily mean to sound like that, Tsuna."

He was crying over the phone.

"Eh! Uh, Tsu-Tsuna!" I panicked, my free arm was held up near my phone, trembling, "Don't-don't cry, I-I'm supposed to be the one crying, I'm the girl here…"

Poor Tsuna, why can't he ever catch a break?


	16. Chapter 16

Ahh, another week, another study session.

It was the weekend again and I was over at Tsuna's house, helping him study for our math class. Our new math teacher has a habit of giving us pop quizzes, so we're playing it safe.

"U-um…i-is it…three?" Tsuna asked hesitantly.

"Wrong." Click_. BOOM._

Oh, did I mention that Reborn-san is helping Tsuna study too?

No? Well, I suppose it's to be expected. I'm so scared of him, my mind tries to forget about him.

Anyway, that boom you heard was a small bomb that Reborn-san had set up in Tsuna's room. And the reason why I'm not passing out right now is because Reborn-san was nice enough to give me a pair of ear plugs.

…Did…did I just use, 'nice' to describe Reborn-san?

…That's it, I've officially cracked.

"Wh-what kind of tutor uses explosives to punish their student for getting an answer wrong!" Tsuna shouted, trying to use me as a shield.

"This kind," said Reborn-san simply, "I find that my methods are quite effective."

"And how is this supposed to help me study!" he shouted to Reborn-san.

"The fear of getting it wrong will help you remember the correct answer," he replied.

I sighed, taking out the ear plugs, "Here Tsuna, let me see your work."

Looking over his paper, I heard the clicking of a gun again. Lifting my gaze, it trailed over to the open window, a small boy wearing a cow suit and sporting a large afro was pointing a gun at an unresponsive Reborn-san perched on a tree branch.

…Hold on, a little boy in a cow suit?

It became apparent that Tsuna was just as confused and freaked out as I was.

"Wh-what the-?" he stared.

Reborn-san just opened up one of the workbooks I brought over, "Okay, let's review this section here…"

"U-um, Reborn-san, th-there's someone at the window…" I stuttered.

"Die Reborn!" said the boy. Reborn-san didn't seem to notice him.

"Reborn! There's a kid trying to kill you!" Tsuna was freaking out while I was starting to get clammy from seeing such a small boy wielding a gun.

"I got you now, Reborn!" Then there was a loud creaking sound coming from the tree the boy was on. The branch was beginning to break off and the boy and the branch both fell.

"Eh!" Tsuna and I screamed.

We ran to the window to see if he was alright. We saw him running to the front door and heard Nana-san opening it.

"Hm? Hello?" She was looking around in confusion. Tsuna and I heard small thumps coming from outside his room and in came that boy from outside.

"Long time no see, Reborn!" the boy said, "It's me, Lambo!"

"Reborn-san, do you know him?" I asked. A bit too calmly. Thank you, shock.

But Reborn-san had just ignored the boy, Lambo-san apparently, and was having Tsuna remember some formulas.

"Grr…Don't ignore me, Reborn!" Lambo-san was charging at Reborn-san but was swiftly smacked against the wall by the inattentive tutor.

"Uuuu…I, LAMBO, AGE FIVE, A HITMAN FROM THE BOVINO FAMILY, TRIPPED," he shouted, he's got a good pair of lungs, "I, LAMBO, WHOSE FAVORITE FOODS ARE GRAPES AND HARD CANDIES AND WHO MET REBORN AT A BAR, TRIPPED!"

I felt myself twitching as Lambo-san was screaming his little lungs out, fortunately Tsuna was keeping me grounded by holding my shoulder. We gave each other a look that basically said, 'This kid seems pretty desperate to make himself known…'

"Tsuna," Reborn-san began, "Use this formula to solve this."

"Uh, okay…"

"And Mifune."

"Y-yes?" I asked.

"What do you use here?"

"S-substitution."

"Correct. Now solve it."

I couldn't help but look back at Lambo-san who was again attempting to get Reborn-san's attention by pulling things out of his hair…with little success.

"Mifune, pay attention," ordered Reborn-san.

"A-ah, s-sorry…"

Tsuna and I went back to studying amidst small sniffles from Lambo-san.

"Wahaha! I brought all sorts of special Bovino Family weapons!" said Lambo-san.

_More_ dangerous, mafia, weapons? Oh dear…

"Ta-da!" he took out a large weapon that looked like a miniature cannon, "The Ten-Year Bazooka! Get hit with it, and you'll switch places with your future self for five minutes!"

Tsuna and I both flinched, worried that the bazooka might go off.

"It's just for display, but I'll put it back so it won't go off on accident," Lambo-san said, rather snidely, "Oh!"

I have a bad feeling…

"What could this be?" he asked, holding a small grenade…

A-A grenade!

"NYAHAHAHA!" Lambo-san laughed, loudly, "Die Reborn!"

I saw Reborn-san's arm twitch to block the incoming grenade which then hit Lambo-san which _then _caused him to fall out the open window…

…We should really close that window…

_BOOM!_

Ah…it went off…

While I was mentally freaking out about an injured cow-child, Tsuna was talking to Reborn-san, "R-Reborn, who was he, did you know him?"

"Not at all," he replied, flipping through the workbook.

"Huh?" Tsuna and I asked.

"The Bovino Famiglia is a small family in the Mafia world," Reborn-san explained, "I don't associate with those of low status."

"I-is that so…" I trailed off.

"Tsu-kuuun!" Nana-san called. We went downstairs.

"What is it, Mom?" Nana-san motioned toward her leg.

"Isn't this a friend of Reborn-kun's?" We looked down, seeing a beat up Lambo-san covered in scratches and dirt.

"E-eh?" I murmured, tilting my head. As sad as it sounds, I kind of didn't expect him to survive.

"Did they have a fight?" Nana-san asked, "You should help them get along! You too, Chi-chan!"

"W-wait!" we tried to protest, but Nana-san was already walking to the kitchen.

"I'll be in the kitchen!"

Isn't this a nice turn of events? I ask myself sarcastically.

Well, we tried to calm him down, but at the first mention of Reborn-san, Lambo-san began to sob and he ran outside…

"Ah!" we shouted, "Lambo-kun/-san! Wait!"

So we chased after him and ended up at the park. We sat down and waited for Lambo-san to calm down.

Somehow he ended up sitting on my lap and he was telling us how he met Reborn-san.

First off he told that he had wanted to become the boss of his family and the whole world bow down to him (…how is he exactly?) and to do that he had to defeat Reborn-san, a 'top-notch' hitman, as told by his current boss. Then he told us his first encounter with Reborn-san, which was at a bar.

!

Wait a minute!

Lambo-san must be like, five! What's he doing in a bar?

Realizing how wrong this all sounds, my mind decided that it wanted to knock me out now, rather than before when Lambo-san was trying to kill Reborn-san.

…Stupid brain.

* * *

><p>Later in the evening when I woke up in my room, I called Tsuna.<p>

"You feeling okay, Chi?"

I sighed, "I've been worse, what did I miss?"

"Um…not much…"

"…You're holding something back." I heard a muffled smack, probably his desk again.

"How do you do that!"

"Later, could you please tell me what happened?"

"Okay, okay," Tsuna relented, "Well, I decided to take Lambo-kun to my house first 'cause I didn't want to risk letting him loose in your house and after I dropped you off I came home and dinner was all ready."

I nodded, an unneeded action, but moving on, "Okay, and I'm guessing that Reborn-san and Lambo-san were in the same room?"

Tsuna grumbled, "Yeah, Lambo-kun tried throwing a knife at Reborn, but it was kmocked back and hit Lambo-kun in the forehead."

I froze.

"…Chi? Are you there? Chi? You okay?"

I shook my head, "N-not really…is Lambo-san okay?"

"Surprisingly, yeah," I heard him ruffle his hair a bit, "But get this, you know that bazooka he took out earlier?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, he shot himself with it, b-but he turned out fine!" Tsuna shouted, worried that I might freeze up again.

"Oh good" I breathed, "What happened next?"

"Well…" he hesitated, "his future self replaced him."

"…huh?"

"Y-yeah, my reaction exactly."

"His future self?"

"Yep."

"O-okay, just keep going, I'm pretty sure my mind will work it all out later."

"Well, his future self was pretty calm at first, he said hello to me and called me Vongola Tenth and told me that it was 'Future Lambo' and he was looking around for you, calling you, 'Chi-nee'."

"'Vongola Tenth'?"

"I know, weird, but then when he saw Reborn, he tried attacking him and everything just…blew up. Literally."

"I would say that you were joking, but knowing Reborn-san, that's pretty plausible…"

He sighed, "Nothing's going to be normal for us anymore, huh?"

I sighed a bit, then smiled, "Well, we still have our sleepovers, if that helps."

"Yeah, that's true," he laughed, "Hey, it's getting late, we should be getting to bed. School's tomorrow."

Insert short pause.

"No way!" we said simultaneously, laughing.


	17. Chapter 17

Ugh, I feel all groggy. We shouldn't have stayed up so late playing that MMORPG last night.

Next to me, I heard Tsuna yawn.

"Man, we stayed up really late last night."

"I know," I replied, "But you really wanted to go grinding, and I was there to make sure you didn't die so much."

"Haha, very funny," Tsuna grumbled, good-naturedly.

"Yo Tsuna, Chi!" Someone called from behind us. I froze and tried not to look back.

"Yamamoto-kun!" said Tsuna, "Good morning!"

"G-good m-morning, Y-Yamamoto-san…" I forced out.

"What's the matter you guys?" he asked, "You both have bags under your eyes!"

"Actually I always look like this…" I murmured.

"Eh, really?" Yamamoto-san clapped my back a bit roughly, "Hahaha, that's not good, Chi! You need lots of sleep to be healthy!"

I was already trembling. I don't have anything against Yamamoto-san, (other than the fact that I find him incredibly terrifying) but I'd rather not get too close lest I garner the hate of his many fangirls…and destroy the dark interior of a broom closet…again.

"Well, as long as you guys weren't up all night studying!" he exclaimed.

"Huh?" Tsuna was confused, as was I.

Yamamoto-san laughed, "We wouldn't want to lose one of our slow group, right?"

Ah, I didn't tell you did I? Yamamoto-san isn't just known for his skills with a bat, he's also one of the students with the lowest test scores.

I suddenly shivered, feeling harsh glares at my back.

I sighed quietly. And so it begins.

_Shudder._

* * *

><p>After school Tsuna and I were hanging out at the school's pool area. We were kind of forced to go there since Reborn-san wanted to talk to us about something.<p>

"Gokudera was rather upset this morning," said Reborn-san, floating along in the pool, "He doesn't think Yamamoto is trustworthy and is against him joining. So I thought giving Yamamoto a 'Family Entrance Test' would satisfy Gokudera's worrries."

So our worries came true. Whether we like it or not, Yamamoto-san will be included in the Vongola.

"I'm not gonna go along with that!" cried Tsuna, "And don't go into the pool with permission!"

"Are you sure it's wise to bring in Yamamoto-san?" I asked, "I mean, he doesn't really have any ties to the Vongola…wouldn't it be dangerous?"

"That's why I'm giving the test," Reborn-san explained.

"No way! Yamamoto-kun is our friend!" shouted Tsuna, "Besides, he's too busy with baseball! Don't go dragging him into this!"

"Too late, I already asked Gokudera to bring him to the back of the campus."

"HUH?" we shouted.

* * *

><p>Upon reaching the back area, we saw both Gokudera-san and Yamamoto-san standing next to each other. It seemed like Yamamoto-san was trying to offer Gokudera-san some milk, with Gokudera-san glaring a hole in his face.<p>

Not literally, thank goodness.

"Hey!" Tsuna shouted.

"Hm?" Yamamoto-san turned around and Gokudera-san hid something behind his back when he caught sight of Tsuna, "Hey guys, what's up? Oh, is that your little brother, Tsuna?"

Not understanding what he meant, Tsuna and looked behind us, Reborn-san was on a skateboard holding onto a rope that was tied around Tsuna's waist.

…How long was that there?

"I'm not his brother, I'm an assassin from the Vongola Famiglia," Reborn-san answered.

"Hahaha!" laughed Yamamoto-san, "Is that so, forgive me then!"

Please tell me he thinks it's a joke…

"You're pretty young for an assassin!"

"Not really," Reborn-san replied, "You're joining the Vongola too."

"No way!" Tsuna shouted.

"Hey, hey, take it easy, Tsuna, he's just a kid," said Yamamoto-san, "Don't you remember playing cops and robbers as a kid?"

"Well, we mostly pretended to be knights and samurai…" I thought out loud.

"Chi!" Tsuna whispered harshly, his face turning red with embarrassment.

I flinched, "S-sorry…"

"Hahaha!" Yamamoto-san laughed, "That's sounds like loads of fun!"

"Tsuna's the tenth generation boss of the family," Reborn-san explained.

"Ooh, you made a good choice then!" complimented Yamamoto-san, hoisting Reborn-san on his shoulder, "Alright, count me in."

At this response, Tsuna let out his trademark shriek, Gokudera-san growled and I began to mentally freak out.

"So what do I have to do?" Yamamoto-san asked.

"You need to pass the entrance test, if you can't pass, you can't join."

Oh! So then, if Yamamoto-san doesn't pass, he won't get involved!

"Just so you know, failing means death," Reborn-san replied simply. I could already feel my muscles beginning to lock up. Why does he have to be so harsh?

"Hahaha!" chuckled Yamamoto-san, "Sounds fun!"

Fun? FUN? This isn't fun! It's downright terrifying!

"This test is simple," Reborn-san whipped out two large, silver pistols, "All you have to do is avoid my attacks. Chi, you're taking part in this too."

And I'm screwed.

"Hold on!" Tsuna shouted, running in front of Yamamoto-san, "You're not seriously planning on killing them, are you?"

Next to me, I could faintly hear Gokudera-san chanting, 'kill him.'

…Are all middle school students crazy, or is it just us?

"Aw come on, Tsuna," Yamamoto-san slung an arm over Tsuna's shoulders, "he's just a kid, let's humor him!"

I'm going to die today, aren't I?

"You're the boss, Tsuna, show them how it's done," ordered Reborn-san.

"What!" Tsuna yelled.

"That's great idea!' Yamamoto-san cheered, "It can be a contest! Let's see who passes!"

"Begin," and Reborn-san began shooting.

Yamamoto-san and Tsuna both shot off like, forgive the pun, bullets with Tsuna dragging me along, while Reborn-san was going trigger-happy on us.

As we were running, bullets and knives were just grazing us, not really causing any damage.

Yikes, it's either adrenaline that's keeping me alive or I'm actually really good at dodging...

…I-it's probably the adrenaline.

While avoiding the potentially fatal weapons, Yamamoto-san seemed to be treating all of this as a game.

Oh Yamamoto-san, I'd hug you if I weren't so scared of you.

Fortunately, he also seemed to be dodging everything pretty well.

"Yikes! That was close!" he said with a smile, "This kid's got a pretty good arm! Toys nowadays are really realistic!"

Seriously, are we crazy?

"Y-Yamamoto-san!" I managed to force out, "I'm pretty sure they're not toys!"

"Really? But I think a smart kid like him wouldn't play with actual weapons!"

Reborn-san's not a kid, he's a demon…

"Next, is the crossbow," said Reborn-san. Arrows began to shoot right by us, one managed to leave a cut on my forearm.

"GYAHAHA!" came a laugh from somewhere above, "I found you, Reborn!"

Hey…that sounds familiar…

We started looking in every direction for the source, then a small form appeared over the edge of one of the school balconies.

Eh, Lambo-san?

"I'M LAMBO FROM THE BOVINO FAMIGLIA," he shouted, "I'VE COME TO JUNIOR HIGH EVEN THOUGH I'M FIVE!"

That's a good pair of lungs for a five-year-old…

"Not again!" Tsuna groaned loudly.

Nearby, Gokudera-san was talking with Reborn-san, "Never heard of the Bovino, what should we do, Reborn?"

"Continue," and he began shooting arrows again, missing us by a slim margin.

"Whoa, that was close!" Yamamoto-san shouted.

"Yikes!" exclaimed Tsuna as he bent his head forward to avoid being impaled in the brain.

"Hya!" I let out a quiet shriek as another arrow cut through my sleeve.

Abruptly, these black things started coming at us…M-missiles?

…MISSILES?

Then they blew up, causing Yamamoto-san, Tsuna and I to lift up into the air with the explosions.

Looking back to where the…m-missiles…came from, I saw Lambo-san holding what appeared to be a missile launcher.

He's pretty strong for a toddler…

"DIE REBORN!"

And cue a barrage of missiles.

The explosions started kicking up dust everywhere. And despite my sarcasm earlier, this is scary, I already have some cuts and open wounds from the arrows and bullets just scraping by me and now I'm getting blinded by all this dust.

There seemed to be a lull as the dust was settling. I could see Tsuna and Yamamoto-san nearby. Tsuna was scolding Reborn-san and Yamamoto-san was letting out a big breath.

"Next is the sub-machinegun," said Reborn-san, ignoring Tsuna's protests, "You can use your bombs too, Gokudera. Just think about killing Yamamoto."

What!

I was catching up to Tsuna when we heard Gokudera-san shouting, "Boss!"

Looking back, all we saw was him giving Tsuna a wink. Then we heard Reborn-san call out, "Time for the finale."

It was probably a bad idea, but the three of us had looked back while running and saw bombs, bullets, and missiles coming at us at the same time.

Oh god, whatdoidowhatdoido!

I felt someone grabbing the back of my shirt before my sight was obscured by thick clouds of dust.

"B-Boss!" I faintly heard Gokudera-san, "Boss! Er…Stupid Woman! Are you okay!"

We came out of the dust coughing, I looked to my side and saw Yamamoto-san carrying me as well as Tsuna.

S-such close contact…s-stay awake…

Yamamoto-san grinned, "That was really close!"

"We're alive…" Tsuna whimpered. I let out a quiet breath, trying to calm myself down since I could feel my entire body trembling, it's a really uncomfortable sensation.

"You passed the test," said Reborn-san to Yamamoto-san, "You're officially one of the family."

"Hahaha! Thanks!"

Gokudera-san stomped toward Yamamoto-san was saying something along the lines of 'good job', I don't really know what happened next since Reborn-san was giving me a weird look.

"I-is there something wrong, Reborn-san?"

He lowered his head so his eyes were shadowed, "…Try harder next time, we can't have you trying to die early again."

I flinched, my hands unconsciously moving over my lower stomach.

…How did he know?

"Chi?" Tsuna asked, walking up from behind me, "You okay? Do you have a stomachache?"

"U-uh, a-a little," I stammered, "It'll pass soon, don't worry."

* * *

><p>It was evening again and this time Tsuna was staying over at my place. Hm, I don't think I ever gave much of a description of my room, huh?<p>

Well, it's cozy, not too big, not too small with a short table in the middle of the room. My bed was next to the window and my nightstand on the other side. My desk was a few feet away from the foot of my bed and was next to my closet. I had a small television on top of a short cabinet against the other wall in my room and was some feet away from the door, with various games on the shelves and some consoles in front of it. And like any geeky/nerdy teenager my age, I had posters of video game characters and anime characters on my wall.

Tsuna and I were currently playing a fighting game, I was winning this time.

As the ending battle theme played, Tsuna groaned and fell back, "Aw man!"

"Justice!" I cheered. Then my mom knocked on the door.

"It's almost time for bed, you two!" she warned, "Go brush your teeth!"

"Okay, mom!"

"Yes, Auntie Makoto!"

After washing up, Tsuna and I flopped onto my bed, wrinkling the thick dark green comforter. We turned until we were both facing the ceiling, illuminated by the same streetlights from yesterday.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Chi?" Tsuna asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm sure, why do you ask?"

"Well, other than being worried about you, you looked a lot paler than usual after that test was over."

Ah, so he noticed.

"…It was just the cuts and stuff," I lied, feeling guilty, "You know how I am with that."

He chuckled, "You always freak out about that."

I blushed, "W-well, there's nothing wrong with taking care of wounds before they get a chance to become infected!"

We talked for a few more minutes before letting our heads hit the pillows with a 'fwhump!' Oh, Mom changed the pillows too! Saying our goodnights, I stayed awake a little longer, glancing outside my window, my hand grasping Tsuna's, thinking back to what Reborn-san said today. I felt a cold shiver run up and down my spine while a nostalgic, numbing pain throbbed around my old scars.

...

...I didn't sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

I was going grocery shopping for my mom today while she was airing out our mattresses. I decided to stop by the music store, it had a beautiful grand piano on display and the owner usually had someone come in and play.

This someone in particular was a tall girl, about the same age as me. She had dark red hair that reached around her knees and deep blue eyes, almost like sapphires. I had a sneaking suspicion that she was a foreigner.

She's been playing at this music store for a few months and she's really good at it.

I wish I knew her name. She seems nice enough.

Ah! Oh no, I need to get home before the produce gets warm!

* * *

><p>Inside the music store…<p>

As the song came to an end, the red-haired girl stood up, the storekeeper coming to speak with her.

"A wonderful performance, once again, dear!" she said. The girl smiled.

"Thanks for hiring me," the storekeeper 'tsk'ed.

"I can't let talent like that go to waste!" she retorted. The girl let out a short laugh.

"Gee, didn't know my skills could be considered a talent," the girl took out a cell phone and looked at the time, "Is it okay if I get the rest of the day off? I've got something important to do today."

"Not a problem! Go ahead."

"Thanks!" the girl called out.

Stepping outside, the girl looked through her cell phone's history, stopping when she got to a message that held directions.

Sighing, she murmured to herself, "I hope you know what you're doing, Reborn…"

* * *

><p>Tsuna's house<p>

After helping my mom put away everything, I went over to Tsuna's house to help him with some of his math homework.

For some odd reason, Gokudera-san wasn't there.

"Hey, Reborn?" Tsuna asked, "Where's Gokudera-kun?"

Turning to look at us from his place at the windowsill, he replied, "Gokudera's going to be a little busy today, he'll be back by tomorrow."

Tsuna and I then gave each other a look and mentally agreed that we should be worried, for what, we didn't know.

* * *

><p>Somewhere in Namimori…<p>

The red-haired girl stopped in front of an apartment complex, one hand in the pocket of her cargo pants, the other holding her cell phone.

Letting out a breath, she quietly said, "Well, this is the place…"

Taking another glance at her phone's screen, she memorized the room number and put the phone away.

Reaching the room, she took in a breath and hesitantly knocked on the door, holding her breath as she waited.

She could hear the footsteps coming closer and she bit the inside of her lip as the door was opened.

"What the hell do you w-…Eva?" She gave the boy in the doorway a nervous gaze.

"Hey, Hayato," she greeted meekly. He gave her a flat look before turning around and heading towards the middle of the living room, leaving the door open.

Taking this as an invitation, she walked in, following him to the couch.

There was a tense silence as the two sat there. Gokudera was looking at her with an indescribable emotion in his green eyes and Eva looking back with the same expression.

Not being able to handle the silence any longer, Eva spoke first, "L-look, I know you probably don't want me here, b-but Reborn told me that you were in Japan a-and…" she let out a pained breath, "I-I understand if you want me to leave, I-I'll go and you'll never have to deal with me again!"

Breathing a bit heavily, Eva bowed her head, not wanting to face him.

Gokudera let out a scoff, "Do you remember what today is?"

Eva raised her head, a curious look on her face, "W-what?" Thinking quickly, her eyes widened, "O-oh, i-it's the day I…stopped…coming to visit you…"

"Why'd you stop?" he asked bluntly.

"I…I had to run away…" she replied quietly, shrinking under his gaze.

Green eyes narrowed, "Why? Was someone in my family threatening you?"

"N-no! No," she shook her head, "I-it, it's something…personal."

"And you don't want to tell me?"

Eva nodded.

"Would you be willing to tell me in the near future?"

She hesitated, then nodded slowly.

"Good, now tell me where the hell you've been all this time, you've better have been practicing," Gokudera crossed his arms and leaned back into the couch.

Sinking into the cushions, Eva let out a relieved sigh, "I have, I picked up the violin too, I was hoping maybe we could play Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor together someday."

* * *

><p>Back at Tsuna's house<p>

Reborn-san was supervising us while we were working. As if Tsuna and I would slack off, right?

…Yeah, I don't believe me either.

"Tsuna, go tell Mama that you're expecting guests," ordered Reborn-san.

"Wha-? What guests?" Tsuna exclaimed right before Reborn-san decided to jump-kick him right out the door.

"Go," Reborn-san repeated.

I ran towards the open door, "Tsu-Tsuna! Are you okay?"

"M'fine," came the muffled response. Realizing I was alone with the baby tutor, I turned to Reborn-san.

"Reborn-san?" I asked nervously. I was still just as wary around him since I found out that he knew more about me than I cared to admit.

He was frowning just a bit as he looked at me, "If you're wondering how I know about your first and only suicide attempt, remember that I work for one of the most powerful mafia families in the world."

Swallowing I forced myself to start speaking as my body was beginning to lock up, "W-well, I was wondering about that, b-but I also wanted to know…who exactly are we expecting?"

"An acquaintance of mine," nonchalantly hopping on top of my shoulder, he then said, "Let's go downstairs to greet them."

Reaching the bottom step, I heard someone knocking at the door. Tsuna left the kitchen to open it.

It was Gokudera-san and…eh? The girl from the music store?

"Gokudera," said Reborn-san from my shoulder, "It's nice of you to join us, and with a friend of yours."

Tsuna and I looked at each other in confusion. The girl laughed.

"I'll introduce myself," Eva bowed with a sweep of her arm, "Shimizu Eva, at your service, Vongola Tenth."

"EH?" we shouted.

"Don't tell me you're involved in this mafia business too!" Tsuna cried.

"Dame-Tsuna," Reborn-san scolded, "I wouldn't pick just anyone. Eva, here, is studying to become doctor, her skills will be useful."

Shimizu-san grinned, "I'm already well versed in different toxins, poisons, and venoms!"

"That doesn't make me feel better at all!" Tsuna groaned.

The mysterious pianist, a mafia member? I started rubbing my temples, trying to analyze the information. Giving Shimizu-san another look, I noticed something different about her, two things actually.

She was smiling more, her eyes were practically glittering. And, there were some markings around her eyes that made her appear almost catlike.

Shimizu-san laughed, "He's pretty energetic, huh Hayato?"

Gokudera-san nodded proudly, "Of course he is, the Tenth needs the energy to take care of the family!"

"E-eh, Shimizu-san, how did you meet Gokudera-san?" I asked.

"Well, it all started when we were just tiny toddlers in Italy," she clasped her hands together and held them to her chest, "I, a lowly orphan, made contact with the ever-so-handsome Gokudera Hayato!"

"'Orphan'?" Tsuna and I asked.

Shimizu-san nodded, "I'll tell you guys the details later if you want, by the way," she turned to look at me, "Hayato neglected to mention that the Tenth had such a cute friend~."

"Eh?" Cute?

"What's your name? What's your name?" she asked excitedly, putting her face near mine.

Leaning back a bit, I replied, "M-Mifune Chi…"

Her eyes began to sparkle brightly, "Ah! Such a cute name!"

Then she grabbed onto me, or rather, she 'glomped' me.

While I was slowly being killed by suffocation, I could see Tsuna groaning about not wanting to be the boss of the Vongola.

Which, unsurprisingly, was ignored by Reborn-san and refuted by Gokudera-san.

* * *

><p>The next day at school, our teacher announced the arrival of a new student.<p>

"Everyone, please welcome, Shimizu Eva," Shimizu-san was standing in front of our class wearing the uniform.

Wow, her hair really is long.

There was a lot of whispering going on, for example:

"Hey, you think that red is her natural color?"

"There's no way her eyes could be that blue…"

"I wanna say she's wearing make-up, but those markings around her eyes don't look like mascara…"

And now for the male comments…

Actually, nevermind. No, let's skip them…who knew middle school students could be so perverted…

Back to Shimizu-san, she was bowing, "My name is Shimizu Eva. Please take care of me!"

So I'm guessing she's going to be a part of Tsuna's family…

Looks like this misfit family is going to keep growing.

* * *

><p><strong> Author's Note: Before anyone says anything, please give Eva a chance, I promise, she's important. Especially for Chi's character development. Please and thank you.<strong>


	19. Chapter 19

It was the weekend again and I was over at Tsuna's (no surprise). We were starting a new video game that we bought and after awhile Tsuna and I went to go buy some snacks.

"Man, it's so hot today…" noted Tsuna, covering his eyes from the sun's rays beating down on us.

"No kidding," I said, "Hey, think we could fry an egg on the sidewalk?"

We laughed. Ahh, nothing like a nice weekend to take a break from the people at school~.

_Ring-Ring_

Hm?

Tsuna and I looked back, seeing a young woman on a bike heading our way. She stopped near us and took off her helmet revealing her face.

Hm…I think she might be a foreigner…

"Here, have one," she said, tossing Tsuna a soda can and riding off.

True to Tsuna's unfortunate clumsiness, the can hit his forehead, and it dropped to the ground causing it to open.

"You okay, Tsuna?" I asked.

"Yeah," he sighed, "That was so uncool…"

"Could've been worse," I tried to reassure him.

Tsuna and I then noticed that the soda that spilled out was suddenly bubbling ominously, releasing a noxious, purple fume that apparently affected a crow since it just fell from the sky and was currently foaming at the mouth.

"HUH?" We jumped back.

"What the heck is going on!" Tsuna shouted.

I was tugging gently on his sleeve, "L-let's just head back."

When we got back to the house, we were greeted by Reborn-san who was covered in…b-b-beetles…

Huh, it's been awhile since I fainted. Wonderful.

* * *

><p>Waking up later that evening, Tsuna called me to fill me in on what happened.<p>

"Her name's Bianchi?" I asked.

"Yeah, Reborn said she's more commonly known as 'Poison Scorpion Bianchi' because she makes people eat her 'poison cooking'," explained Tsuna.

"Well, that explains the weird soda." On the other side, Tsuna groaned.

"I can't believe she'd go all this way just to kill me!" I tilted my head slightly.

"But isn't that what assassins do?" I could hear Tsuna beginning to ruffle his hair.

"She wanted to kill me because I was, apparently, taking up all of Reborn's time!" Tsuna complained, "If she wants him, she can have him!"

"She sounds like she's obsessed," I noted, "And that's never a good thing."

"Hm? How so?"

"Remember Yamamoto-san and his arm?"

"O-oh, yeah…"

"Obsession can really mess with your life," I said, "We should be more careful if we meet more people like Bianchi-san."

"Right, that's a good plan," agreed Tsuna.

…We both sighed.

"But knowing our luck, we'll attract those kinds of people no matter what," Tsuna moaned.

"W-well, let's just try and look on the bright side of things," I assured, "Tomorrow, my Home Economics class is making riceballs for the boys, and Sasagawa-san's in that class."

"Oh yeah! That's right!" I could almost feel the cheery air emanating from him through the phone. I suddenly found it hard to swallow.

"It's getting late," I told him, "Get some sleep, okay Tsuna?"

"You too," he said, "Good night, Chi."

"Good night, Tsuna."

_Click_

I put my phone on my nightstand and laid back down on my bed.

Why does talking about Sasagawa-san make my chest feel like its being crushed?

* * *

><p>Well, today's Tsuna's lucky day. Why?<p>

Sasagawa-san was walking with us to school. I decided to give the two their space, so I don't have any details on what they were talking about.

_Ring-Ring_

Hm?

We turned around and saw Bianchi-san coming right at us. She sped by, tossing three cans of soda, which were quickly dealt with thanks to Tsuna using his bag as a weapon.

After that, we ran towards the school.

* * *

><p>Ah, Home Economics, one of my favorite classes. Why? Because one: this teacher actually likes me, and two: my mom taught me all she knew about cooking. And, I'm really good at making riceballs.<p>

Hmm, who should I give them to…I know I'm definitely going to make one for Tsuna (I'll give it to him after class, wouldn't want Sasagawa-san to think Tsuna and I are more than friends).

Yamamoto-san? Hm, his fangirls would already be flocking him, but he _is_ a friend. Let's see, his family owns a sushi restaurant…I'll put some fish in his.

Gokudera-san? Same with Yamamoto-san. His fangirls are vicious. He seems like the type that likes savory foods. I'll put some bits of fried chicken in his.

"Hey, Chi!" called a voice from behind me. I reluctantly turned to look.

Oh, it's Shimizu-san.

"What're you gonna put in your riceballs?" her eyes were glittering with excitement, "I'm going to put some pickled vegetables in Hayato's, he needs to eat healthy."

"O-oh, um," I stuttered, not used to talking to other people in this class, "I'm going to put umeboshi in Tsuna's, fish in Yamamoto-san's, and some fried chicken in Gokudera-san's."

Shimizu-san's brows quirked, "'Yamamoto-san'? Who's he?"

"H-he's the school's top baseball player, he's tall, has short spiky hair, and…um, amber eyes…" I tried describing.

"Oh! That guy, he seems pretty cool, I guess," she said plainly.

If his fangirls heard her tone, they'd be glaring us to death.

"That's why he's popular…" I murmured.

While we shaped the riceballs, Shimizu-san spoke again.

"So, Chi."

"Y-yes?" I asked.

"You and the Tenth seem to be pretty close," she said, "Considering that you two don't use the suffix for each other's names, isn't that a big thing in Japanese culture?"

"W-we've been friends for a long time…" I muttered.

"Even so, it's rare for people in Japan to call each other without the suffix, isn't it?" she asked.

Before I could ask why she was so curious, the teacher spoke.

"Alright, girls, time to pass out your riceballs!" and she led us out the door.

* * *

><p>The boys in class were all abuzz when we came in. Shimizu-san had already sped to Gokudera-san, offering her riceballs, to which he accepted almost…excitedly?<p>

I took my gaze elsewhere and saw that Yamamoto-san was already surrounded by his fangirls.

Looking over at Tsuna, I saw him eying Sasagawa-san's riceballs. His eyes flickered over to me and we had a mental conversation.

'_After class?'_

'_After class.'_

Sighing, I caught some movement out of the corner of my eye.

Bianchi-san?

H-hey, why are there maggots coming out of those riceballs? Since when were they purple?

Looks like Tsuna noticed, he was looking around frantically.

"Sawada-kun, do you want one?" Sasagawa-san asked.

"Eh, u-uh…" he stuttered.

"You don't like salmon?"

"N-no, no! I-it's not like that!" he was waving his arms around wildly. Yamamoto-san and Gokudera-san walked up behind him.

"If you don't want them, Boss, we'll take them!" said Gokudera-san.

"Good idea, Gokudera!" Yamamoto-san agreed.

"W-wait!" cried Tsuna.

"Ah!" I was going to try and stop them along with Tsuna, but he was already moving.

"You'll die if you if those!" and he tossed them up in the air.

Then, I heard a faint _bang!_ coming from outside and something hit Tsuna in the forehead and stomach.

"Oh dear…" I trailed, feeling a bit weak as I saw Tsuna running around and causing chaos while eating all the riceballs.

"Ah, ah," Shimizu-san tutted, she took the riceballs out of my hands and held them up, "Wouldn't want the Tenth to eat those without savoring them, right?"

"A-ah, th-thank you…" I whispered.

"No problem," chuckled Shimizu-san, "Just try and stay standing until the Tenth calms down."

Once everything settled down, the girls filed out (not including Shimizu-san and I).

While walking out, I overheard Sasagawa-san's friend, Kurokawa-san, talking to her.

"Guess you can take that as Sawada's declaration of love, Kyoko."

…? Why do I feel out of breath?

"That was an incredibly manly thing to do, Boss," commented Gokudera-san.

"Way to go, Tsuna!" laughed Yamamoto-san.

"Huh?" Tsuna asked.

"Shouting, 'I'll kill anyone who eats the riceballs Kyoko-chan gave me!'" Gokudera-san recited, "Just what I'd expect from you, Tenth!"

Shimizu-san let out an amused scoff and gave me back my riceballs.

Walking closer to Tsuna, I said, "I heard differently…here Tsuna, a riceball with umeboshi."

Sighing, Tsuna took one, "Thanks, Chi," he said, gratefully.

"I made one for you guys too," I held them out to Yamamoto-san and Gokudera-san.

"Hahaha, thanks Chi! These look great!"

"…They're okay," said Gokudera-san begrudgingly.

"Oh, admit it, you like them~!" teased Shimizu-san.

"Hey! You're the new student, Shimizu Eva, right?" asked Yamamoto-san.

"Yep, yep!" she greeted, "And you're Yamamoto Takeshi, right? Mind if I call you 'Yama-chi'?"

"Hahaha! Go right ahead!" he laughed, "S'okay if I call you, 'Eva-chan'?"

"It's perfectly fine!"

"Oi! Eva!" shouted Gokudera-san, "Don't get so friendly with him! We can't completely trust him!"

"Aw, c'mon," whined Shimizu-san, "Can't I make friends?"

While this was going on, Tsuna was shrinking under the combined glares of the boys in the class.

…We need to do something about that 'Dying Will' mode.


	20. Chapter 20

Once more I was spending the weekend over at Tsuna's while our moms' went out grocery shopping and just spending the day together. We were coming back from checking out the new releases at the game store and bookstore.

"Man, it's so hot…" Tsuna complained, "Let's go hangout in my room and turn on the AC."

"That's a good plan," I replied, wiping some sweat off my forehead. Tsuna was opening the door and ended up hitting something…hm? Lambo-san? Why is he sleeping behind Tsuna's door?

"Reborn!" shouted Tsuna, "What are you doing in my room?"

"B-Bianchi-san," I stuttered.

"Oh? You're both home," Bianchi-san turned around, holding a large glass bowl containing various insects and a bubbling purple mass, "I made some for the both of you, eat up."

…I think something inside me just died…

I was trying to keep myself standing against the wall while Tsuna was arguing with Reborn-san and Bianchi-san. Something about Bianchi-san's poison cooking and how she's trying to make it stronger.

"Reborn! Do something! Make her leave!" yelled Tsuna.

_Ding-Dong_

"Hm?" Tsuna and I looked towards the door.

"Boss!"

"Tenth~!"

I know those voices…

We went downstairs, reluctantly on Tsuna's part, and opened the door to let in Gokudera-san and Shimizu-san, the latter immediately hugging me.

"Chi-chan~!" she squealed, "Hello, my little adorable friend you~!" she cooed, rubbing her cheek against mine.

"…H-hi…" I squeaked, trying to loosen her arms, she has a really strong grip.

"Gokudera-kun, Eva-san, w-what brings you here?" asked Tsuna.

Gokudera-san was all grins, "Want to share this melon?" he held up a net holding round, green melon, "Eva picked it out, we're told it's really sweet."

"I can make a fruit salad for us," said Shimizu-san, pausing in her…'cuddling'.

"I-I really appreciate it, b-but now's not really the best time…" Tsuna trailed off.

Gokudera-san suddenly glared, "There's someone causing you trouble, isn't there?"

Shimizu-san let go, "We'll take care of it for you, Tenth!"

"Eh…well…" Tsuna rubbed the back of his head, he looked at me.

Ah, it's time for a mental conversation.

'_Do you think Gokudera-kun and Eva-san can chase away Bianchi-san?'_

I bit my lip, _'I don't know, Tsuna. She's a professional assassin.'_

Tsuna's brow furrowed, _'But Gokudera-kun's good with throwing his bombs, and maybe Eva-san can poison her or something.'_

I shrugged, _'It's worth a shot, I guess.'_

Breaking off the conversation, Tsuna continued, "W-well, there's actually someone here…"

Gokudera-san dropped the melon and Shimizu-san began looking nervous.

"N-nee-san!" Gokudera-san forced out.

"A-ah, Bianchi…" Shimizu-san nervously took a step back.

"Hayato…and Eva…" Bianchi-san looked somewhat happy, but when she saw Shimizu-san, she frowned a bit.

"Gaah," Gokudera-san gagged, "S-sorry!" he ran outside.

"Gokudera-kun!/Gokudera-san!" Tsuna and I shouted.

"Eh, Hayato!" Shimizu-san called after.

Bianchi-san sighed, "He always does that…how strange."

"H-hold on…'nee-san'…" Tsuna gripped his hair, "Those two are related!"

"Yes, but with different mothers," Reborn-san replied calmly.

"Eva, may I speak with you in the kitchen?" Bianchi-san asked pleasantly.

"Yeah," she said uncomfortably, "sure."

Tsuna and I ran after Gokudera-san.

* * *

><p><strong>Sawada Kitchen<strong>

Bianchi punched Eva in the face. Eva turned her head, and coughed into her sleeve.

"We really shouldn't roughhouse in the kitchen," Eva mumbled.

"Why the hell did you leave?" Bianchi asked angrily.

Eva looked at Bianchi, wiping her face, "If I didn't tell Hayato, then I'm obviously not telling you."

Bianchi kneed Eva in the stomach. The red-haired girl stumbled back a few steps.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Eva sighed and bit the inside of her cheek.

"I'm planning to," Eva stressed, "If I'm going to tell anyone, it'd be Hayato first."

Bianchi glared, "You talked this over with him, then?"

"Of course," Eva crossed her arms over her chest, "Whatever Hayato wants to hear, I'll tell him, though sometimes not immediately."

Bianchi sighed harshly, "Just make sure you tell him soon."

"I will," Eva rubbed her stomach gingerly, "Geez, if you hit any harder, I might've lost any chance at having a baby."

The lavender-haired woman let out a cold laugh, "Like we need more people like you in the world."

Eva smiled sadly, "Good point, who knows, I might abandon them without letting them see my face, just like my real parents."

* * *

><p>Tsuna, Gokudera-san, and I were walking back after Tsuna and I caught up with him.<p>

Poor Gokudera-san, being forced to eat all those poisonous cookies…

My stomach was trying to kill itself after listening to that story. Well, at least it was kind of a bonding moment between Tsuna and Gokudera-san, I say that because I could tell he wasn't really talking to me. We, or rather, Tsuna and Gokudera-san made a plan to get drive Bianchi-san out of town after Gokudera-san showed us a picture of her and her boyfriend, Romeo, who looked suspiciously like Lambo-san.

Or so said Tsuna. I wasn't there when Lambo-san used that Ten-Year Bazooka on himself.

When we got back to Tsuna's house, we quietly walked upstairs, noting that Bianchi-san was in the kitchen and Shimizu-san and Reborn-san were nowhere to be found.

We went into Tsuna's room and found a napping Lambo-san.

"Hm?" I looked around, "Shimizu-san isn't here…" Gokudera-san grumbled.

"She probably left," Gokudera-san explained, "I doubt she and my sister are on good terms right now."

"What do you mean?" I asked. He scoffed and turned away from me.

"That's Eva's story to tell, not mine." We then heard Tsuna sigh.

"What's wrong, Boss?"

"Lambo's being stubborn," Tsuna answered, "I'm gonna go and find Reborn."

I blinked in confusion, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Tsuna started walking downstairs, "Well, Lambo uses the bazooka when Reborn upsets him, so why not?"

Stepping out of the room, I noticed that Gokudera-san didn't move, "Gokudera-san, aren't you coming?"

"I-I think I'll stay up here," he stammered, "I'm not risking being found out by my sister."

* * *

><p>Tsuna and I went out back and found Reborn-san drying himself off after stepping out of a small inflatable pool.<p>

"Reborn!" Tsuna called, "I need a favor," he clapped his hands together, as if he were praying, "Could you bother Lambo?"

"No," was the curt reply.

"Wha-Why not?" Tsuna asked.

"I told you, I don't deal with those of lower rank."

I cringed. Harsh.

"GYAHAHA!" came a voice from somewhere, "YOU WON'T BE SAYING THAT MUCH LONGER, REBORN!"

I still wasn't sure where that voice was coming from until Tsuna tilted my head up towards the roof. Lambo-san? Wasn't he napping?

"DIE REBORN!" he shouted, "I'LL ZAP YOU TO DEATH WITH THE STUN GUN FROM MY BOSS!"

Jumping off from the roof, I felt the urge to catch him. But when I took a step, Tsuna held me back.

"Chi! Be careful!" he tugged me back just before Lambo-san was "zapped" by his own weapon and landed in the pool.

Did I bring my first aid kit…?

"WAAAAAH!" he cried and pulled out his Ten-Year Bazooka.

_BOOM_

Tsuna's backyard was suddenly engulfed in pink smoke.

Tsuna and I were coughing, waving away the dense, pink clouds.

"Hm?" said a voice, "Why am I soaking in water?"

"Huh?" Tsuna and I stared.

"It's Adult Lambo!" Tsuna began shouting for Bianchi-san.

"Lambo-san?" I asked. 'Adult Lambo' looked over at me, one eye was closed but both opened when he caught sight of me.

"Ah! Chi-nee, it's been a while since you called me that," he chuckled, "It's okay to call me 'Lambo', y'know."

Before I could reply, Bianchi-san came out.

"Romeo!" she cried. Lambo-sa-ah, Lambo seemed confused. Bianchi-san started running towards him with a smile on her face, "Romeo! You're alive!"

In a split second, Bianchi-san took out her poison cooking, "Die!" …and slammed it in Lambo-sa…L-Lambo's face.

"Huh?" Tsuna and I shouted.

"Bianchi and Romeo were on terrible terms just before they broke up," Reborn-san explained, "She'd get angry just thinking about him."

"That would've been nice to know earlier!" yelled Tsuna.

"T-Tol...er..ate…" Lambo-s-gah…_Lambo_ muttered before passing out.

"Aaah!" I screamed, "L-Lambo-san! I mean, Lambo! D-don't die!"

Luckily, he disappeared back to his time.

"Medical treatment from ten years into the future should be able to save him," commented Reborn-san.

"I hope so…" I mumbled, gently rocking an upset Lambo-san, er Lambo.

* * *

><p>The next day, while walking home from school, Tsuna and I were explaining the story to Gokudera-san and Shimizu-san.<p>

"Is that so…" Gokudera-san was a bit downtrodden, "Now that you mention it…I heard that he died of food poisoning…"

Tsuna seemed horrified.

"Poor Lambo…" I sighed. Next to me, Shimizu-san looked thoughtful.

"Hm, maybe I should look a little deeper into how to treat something like that…"

Tsuna and I sighed heavily, feeling achy.

I'm kind of afraid of who we might meet next time…


	21. Chapter 21

Tsuna and I were walking to school with Reborn-san following us, walking on top of the brick walls surrounding the houses we passed. I suddenly felt a cold shiver run down my spine.

"Chi, you okay?" Tsuna asked.

"Y-yeah…" I answered, "I think…" In front of us, I spotted a figure peeking from behind the corner of a brick fence. The figure's face disappeared and a pair of hands gripped at the wall. The figure pulled itself up, revealing itself to be a girl about the same age as Tsuna and I, she was wearing a school uniform, her hair was styled into a loose bun and hair clips holding her bangs out of her face. She started walking on the edge, her face flushed and legs shaky.

"Huh?" said Tsuna in disbelief. I could only stare.

I'm getting a weird vibe from this person.

"H-hi…" the girl greeted, her face blushing darkly.

"Ciaossu," Reborn-san greeted back.

The girl let out a giggle that made my spine go cold. Oh dear…

"My name is…Miura Haru," she said, her voice high and sounding a little too cheerful for my tastes.

"I know," replied Reborn-san curtly, "You live here-" he pointed at the house we were standing next to, "Right?"

'Miura'-san grinned, "W-would you be my friend?" she stuttered.

"Sure," he said bluntly. She let out a blissful sigh and jumped off the wall, making an exaggerated landing.

"Yes!" she shouted, throwing her arms out wide, "I did it!"

Unable to handle her energy, I quickly hid behind Tsuna, trembling as the girl continued to converse with Reborn-san.

"I-I know this is out of the blue…" she said, she wrapped her arms around herself, "but will you let me give you a big hug?"

Looking over Tsuna's shoulder, I saw him deadpan.

"Don't get too close," Reborn-san smirked, pulling out a gun, "I'm an assassin you know."

The girl froze.

"H-hey, Reborn, don't say that in broad daylight-!" Tsuna scolded before being hit in the face.

"Tsu-Tsuna!" I whispered loudly, the events becoming a little too much for me.

"How could you!" the girl shouted, "Teaching a child to kill! You're the lowest of the low!"

"What!" Tsuna yelled. I dug into my bag for my first aid kit.

"Babies are angels with pure hearts…" she growled, "How could you taint that innocence!"

She continued on like this, accusing Tsuna of corrupting Reborn-san. Fortunately, Reborn-san was giving his two cents.

"I'm afraid I can't leave Tsuna," he said calmly. Tsuna turned away grumbling and let me press a cold water bottle my mom gave me that morning against his bruised cheek. I realized that I had no cold compress in my kit, so the bottle would have to do.

"It's my job to train Tsuna into the tenth generation boss of the mafia," Reborn-san explained, "I can't leave him till then."

Tsuna was punched in the face once more, the force pushing Tsuna away from me. The girl…well, I suppose I should call her Miura-san…started shouting at Tsuna with more conviction, but this time about the mafia. She then turned to me with a dark glare.

Now considering that she punched my best friend twice in the same place, I felt the need to return the favor, but she turned and left with a cheerful 'later', leaving the three of us there confused (in Tsuna's case), amused (in Reborn-san's case), and uncharacteristically angry (in my case).

* * *

><p>The next morning, Tsuna and I were walking alone on the way to school.<p>

"Ugh, geez why is it so hot…" Tsuna complained, wiping his forehead. I passed him my water bottle.

"Here, it'll help," I said, "Hopefully it'll cool down soon."

_Clank Clank Clank_

"I hope so," said Tsuna, "Because I think I'm starting to hear things…"

_Clank Clank_

"…No, I…I'm starting to hear them too…," I confessed.

_Clank_

The noise had stopped behind us. Tsuna and I turned around and saw Miura-san dressed in the traditional samurai armor with a hockey stick and motorcycle helmet replacing the sword and normal helmet.

Being rather fond of traditional Japanese armor, I couldn't help but say, "What are you doing?"

Miura-san let out a few huffs, "It's me, Miura Haru, my head was spinning so I couldn't sleep…"

"So you wear this when you can't sleep?" Tsuna remarked.

"No! What do you think I am? Some sort of idiot?" she retorted. I was about to reply in the affirmative since she wasn't carrying the right helmet for the armor, nor was she using the correct weapon, and was walking around in it outside festival time, but she didn't let me answer.

"If Reborn really is an assassin and you're going to be a mafia boss, then you should be strong," She stated, "If what Reborn said is true, then I won't complain." She placed the motorcycle helmet on her head and raised her hockey stick, "Fight me!"

She brought down the hockey stick with Tsuna and I quickly dodging to the left.

"Wait a minute!" Tsuna shouted.

"If you're going to fight us, then at least wear the correct helmet!" I yelled.

"Now isn't the time, Chi!"

* * *

><p><strong>A little ways away from Tsuna and Chi<strong>

Eva was humming classical tunes while Gokudera was pointing out her flat notes.

"Hm~hmm~hm~hm~" Eva hummed cheerfully, swinging her hand along with Gokudera's as they were walking towards the school, "Ah~ I can't wait to see Chi-chan and the Tenth~!" she gushed, her blue eyes sparkled, "Chi-chan looks so cute in the school uniform~!"

Gokudera sighed while holding a barely there smile on his face, shaking his head at Eva's 'fangirling', stopping when he heard a commotion, "Hold on, Eva," he jerked his head towards the sounds, "What's that? Ah!" his green eyes widened, "It's the boss!"

"Hm?" Eva followed his line of sight, "EH! And Chi-chan too!"

"We gotta hurry!" shouted Gokudera.

* * *

><p><strong>Back with Tsuna and Chi<strong>

"I'm trying to tell you that I'm not going to become a mafia boss!" Tsuna yelled, dodging all the strikes Miura-san was throwing at us.

"Aha!" she called out, "So you ARE taking advantage of Reborn-chan!"

"I'm not!" he shouted.

She really isn't listening to reason…

Miura-san raised her hockey stick in the air again and was bringing it down once more.

"Boss!"

"Tenth! Chi-chan!"

"Wha-!"

Gokudera-san and Shimizu-san had jumped in front of us.

"Stand back, boss!" Gokudera-san ordered, he took out some dynamite and threw it at Miura-san.

"Eh?" she looked up, "Those are…"

_BOOM_

…Sh-she fell into the water!

"Oh no!" Tsuna cried out, "She fell in the river!"

Shimizu-san looked over the bridge, "Hey, Chi-chan, what's that chick's name anyway?"

"Huh? U-um," I stuttered, "U-uh, Miura Haru-san…I think?"

Shimizu-san suddenly gained a dark look in her eyes, "'Miura' huh?" she replied, "Reborn told me about her yesterday."

"Sh-Shimizu-san?" I squeaked.

"She was stalking you, the Tenth, and Reborn yesterday, right?"

"Y-yes…" I nodded slowly.

"Grr…" Shimizu-san growled, "Let her drown!"

"What!" Tsuna and I shouted.

"Stalkers and pedophiles, I hate them all!" She exclaimed, waving her fist in the air.

"She was stalking you, Boss?" Gokudera-san asked, "Then we should punish her by letting her drown!"

"Wha-No!" Tsuna cried.

"I'll save her."

Hm? We all turned around.

"Reborn-san?" He was standing at the edge of the bridge, and calmly took out his gun.

"Go, Tsuna," he said shortly and shot.

"Wai-!" The bullet had gone through his forehead, "SAVE MIURA HARU WITH MY DYING WILL!"

He jumped into the water and grabbed Miura-san, "HOLD ON!"

Once everything calmed down, we all stood at the riverbank.

"Thank you," Miura-san mumbled.

"If anything happened to the boss, you wouldn't even be here," Gokudera-san threatened.

"I still say we should have let her die," grumbled Shimizu-san, "Or you could've let me inject a neurotoxin in her or something…"

I don't very much like her either, but I don't think she should've died…

"Aaaah!" Miura-san shot up from where she was sitting, "I'll save Haru with my dying will! Hold on to me!" she wrapped her arms around herself, "I only thought people on tv would say that~!"

I stepped closer to Tsuna, who was still in his underwear, "I think we should start running…" I whispered.

"Sounds like a good idea…" he replied quietly.

"My heart's pounding," continued Miura-san, "I…I think I'm in love with you, Tsuna-san…"

"What!" we shouted.

"B-but, weren't you in love with Reborn?" Tsuna cried.

"I want to give you a great big hug, Tsuna-san~!" Miura-san gushed.

"N-no way!" and he ran, dragging me with him.

"Oi!" barked Shimizu-san, running after them, "Stay away from the Tenth, you Stalking Pedophile! Don't you dare lay your hands on them!"

* * *

><p>After school, Gokudera-san and Shimizu-san were walking Tsuna and I home.<p>

Gokudera-san was keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings and Shimizu-san was grumbling.

"Shimizu-san, is something wrong?" I asked, next to us, Gokudera-san was offering to help Tsuna with today's homework.

"Tch, I'm still pissed off…" she growled.

"Why do you hate stalkers and pedophiles so much, um not that it's okay to like them, but…" I tripped over my tongue.

"I seem to have a hate that's deeper than the general public's?" she finished. I nodded, covering my mouth. I bit my tongue too.

She sighed grumpily, "I was a student working under a very perverted doctor, he's such a womanizer…" her eye twitched, "But, I couldn't really deny myself the chance of learning from the ever-so-famous mafia doctor."

"But that doesn't really explain why you hate stalkers and pedophiles…" Shimizu-san let out another sigh.

"He chases around middle school girls too…" she answered, "And I just really don't like stalkers, I like my sense of security, y'know?"

"I-I see…" I whispered a bit fearfully.

This doctor sounds dangerous, hopefully I won't have to meet him.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: I apologize for the long wait, my teachers wanted to throw projects at their students for the last few weeks of school.**

**But please enjoy the chapter, and once you're done, if you could, there's a poll on my profile that I'd like for you to answer. Thank you.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"And of course, Lambo being Lambo, he started blowing up stuff when he saw Reborn!" Tsuna complained.<p>

"I-is everything okay, though?" I asked, my hand shaking a bit as I held the phone.

Tsuna sighed heavily, "Yeah…kinda, Lambo flew out of the house from the explosion and…well, everything calmed down."

"Wh-what?" I stuttered, "B-but Lambo-kun's still missing!"

You're all probably confused at the moment, allow me to explain.

It's morning and I was coming back from the convenience store after buying some orange juice. On the way home, Tsuna called me and told me what happened during breakfast at his house. Apparently, Lambo-kun (I'm still not used to calling him 'Lambo') came back and tried to fight Reborn-san again, which ended in explosions and stress.

Man, Tsuna can never catch a break.

"Where are you right now?" asked Tsuna. I looked around.

"I'm near the apartment buildings," I answered.

"Huh? You're not at home?" I shook my head. A meaningless effort since Tsuna couldn't see me, but habits are habits.

"We ran out of juice, so my mom asked me to go buy some," I replied, "Why do you ask?" Tsuna let out a small chuckle.

"Well, I was going to ask if you could come over," he explained, "You're not busy today, are you?"

I stopped walking. Hm, let's see. I finished the homework, made my bed, had breakfast, washed up…

"I'll ask my mom," I replied, "I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah, see ya!"

"Bye," I closed my phone and slipped it in my pocket. Letting out a breath, I looked up, using my free hand to cover my eyes. Summer's nice and all, but it gets too hot. It was a bad idea to wear a dark shirt today, and the shorts I'm wearing aren't balancing the temperature.

Something, or someone, bumped into me from behind.

"Oof!" they said, "Oh! I-I'm sorry!" I turned around. It was a auburn-haired boy with glasses, he was carrying a medium-sized crate under one arm and…Ah! Lambo-kun!

"Lambo-kun!" I said aloud.

"Eh?" the boy said, "You know him?" I nodded.

"Great," he breathed, "Could you, maybe help me? I'm trying to get him to this address," he nodded his head at a small slip of paper on the crate. Tsuna's address.

"S-sure, I don't mind," I shifted the handles of the bag I was carrying to my wrist and took Lambo-kun off the boy's back, "U-um…m-m-my n-na-ah, I-I'm sorry, p-please pardon my st-stuttering…" We started walking.

"Its fine," the boy assured, "I know how you feel, my name's Irie Shouichi, what's yours?"

"M-Mifune Ch-Chi," Ow, I bit my tongue.

* * *

><p>Some time later, we reached Tsuna's house, I was finishing my call with my mom (she said I could go to Tsuna's) when I heard Irie-san scream in shock.<p>

"Irie-san?" I asked, shaken from the scream "W-what's wrong?"

"Th-there's a woman in a bikini sleeping in the yard!" he shouted, his eyes wide and his glasses askew.

Woman? I don't think Nana-san wears bikinis…maybe, Bianchi-san?

While I was caught up in my thoughts, Bianchi-san was walking up to Irie-san.

"Did you need something?" she asked.

"E-eh, uh," he stuttered, "I-I was l-looking for R-Reborn-san…"

The angry air emanating from Bianchi-san interrupted my train of thought.

"Are you here to kill him?" she accused. Irie-san took a few steps back until he was a few inches behind me.

"What's the matter?" Oh, Reborn-san's outside too? "Ciaossu," he greeted.

I looked down at him, "G-good morning, Reborn-san…" I was beginning to feel nervous since I was holding Lambo-kun.

"Reborn!" Ah, speak of the devil…He took off his horns, which were somehow attached to his hair, and threw them at Reborn-san but were immediately deflected when Reborn-san had Leon-san turn into a baseball bat, and knocked Lambo-kun somewhere.

Ah, he's gone missing again…

"Mifune," said Reborn-san. I flinched and turned to face him.

"Y-yes, Reborn-san?" I replied hesitantly.

"Tsuna's upstairs, I expect he's waiting for you," and he turned back to whatever it was he was doing.

"Y-yes sir…" I sped upstairs, and tripping along the way, and clung onto Tsuna when I got inside his room.

"Wh-whoa!" Tsuna exclaimed, putting his hands on my shoulders, "What's wrong, Chi?"

I took some deep breathes, trying to calm myself down, "I'm expecting explosions and other such loud noises, so excuse me if I faint."

Tsuna let out a shaky laugh, "That so, well you can take over my bed when you do," he patted my head that was currently taking residence on his shoulder.

Feeling all the anxiety building up, my brain decided to short-circuit and I flopped on Tsuna's bed, hearing him run downstairs shouting about explosions and disturbing the neighbors.

* * *

><p>Sometime later, I woke up to Tsuna playing a video game and muttering about Lambo-kun and Bianchi, his frustration translating to the way he was button-mashing his controller.<p>

"Chi!" Tsuna got up, "Feel better?"

Sitting up, I nodded, "Yeah," I replied, "What time is it?"

"Around one in the afternoon," he said.

Seriously?

"I was out for awhile," I said, mostly to myself, "Wait, what happened to that guy?"

Tsuna looked confused, "What guy?"

I turned my body and placed my feet on the floor, "He was walking with me to your house because he found Lambo-kun," I explained, "Irie-san, I think his name was?" I rubbed my head. Tsuna frowned a little.

"I didn't see him," he said, going back to the game.

"What happened after I passed out?"

"Lambo and Reborn were fighting each other, Lambo got upset and used the Ten-Year Bazooka on himself, Bianchi thought he was Romeo and a bunch of explosions," Tsuna explained, "The older Lambo was wondering where you were though, he mentioned something about not having seen you in a long time."

I froze, "D-does that mean we become friends with a bomb-happy, five-year-old who dresses up like a cow?"

Tsuna shuddered, "I hope not…"

Tsuna and I gave each other a look, and sighed heavily.

"Knowing our luck, we'd get sucked into this, 'mafia', stuff pretty deep," I concluded. Tsuna passed me the other controller in silent agreement.

* * *

><p>The next morning Tsuna and I were heading to school, we were going to be late since we stayed up trying to beat that…stupid cheating boss that every game has…uh, ahem. So we just gave up and were just walking.<p>

"Hmm, maybe we should've ran when we got out of the house," I remarked.

"We'll be late no matter how fast we rush," Tsuna grumbled behind me, his head against my shoulder blade.

"You'll never know unless you try," a shiver ran down my spine, Reborn-san. He was sitting on top of a wall, pointing a gun at Tsuna.

"Huh? Reborn!" Tsuna tried to avoid it, but to no avail, "RAAAAH! GET TO SCHOOL WITH MY DYING WILL!"

And once more I was being dragged along. Hm, joints are pretty strong aren't they, or else my right arm would've been torn off by now.

As I was being pulled along, I caught a glimpse of Sasagawa Ryohei-sempai, Sasagawa-san's older brother. He was reaching out for…Tsuna, I think? But he ended up getting dragged too!

Oh, um, Sasagawa Ryohei-sempai is the captain of our school's boxing team and is well-known for being very loud and 'extreme'.

Thanks to Tsuna's impressive running skills under the influence of the Dying Will Bullet, we got to the school gates in record time.

"Haah…" Tsuna panted, "Damn it, everyone's gonna make fun of me for running around in my underwear again…"

"…Tsuna?" I patted his shoulder.

"What is it?" he asked. I pointed to the hand that wasn't holding mine, "Aaah! I was dragging someone else too!"

He was only out for a few seconds, but then Sasagawa-sempai got up pretty fast.

…Lucky, I wish I could do that without feeling dizzy.

"Such stamina and passion!" he shouted, gripping Tsuna's shoulders, "Join the boxing club, Sawada!"

"EH!" we yelled.

"H-how do you know my name?" stuttered Tsuna.

"I heard it from my sister!" Sasagawa-sempai answered, "She's told me about you!"

"Brother!" came a voice from afar. Looking behind us, we could see Sasagawa-san coming our way, carrying a sports bag. Unwilling to stay awake in her prescence, I passed out.

…You guys are probably getting tired of this. And for that, I apologize.

* * *

><p>Some time later, after Tsuna picked me up from the nurse's office and after school, we headed toward the boxing club's room. Tsuna had explained to me that Sasagawa-san was gushing about how happy she was to see her brother look so excited, so Tsuna couldn't say no.<p>

And now he's stuck trying to find a way to avoid joining the club. We stood outside the door, Tsuna was hesitant and was thinking up ways of how to get out of this situation.

I'm starting to get really apprehensive about this. Aaaah, why do my nerves feel shot? I'm not being pressured into this!

Tsuna looked over at me, "You okay, Chi?"

I shook my head, "I think I'm gonna be sick…" I groaned. He put a hand on my shoulder.

"Do you want me to take you to the nurse?" he offered, "I'll tell you everything after."

"Y-yeah…th-thanks…" Ugh, now I'm feeling shaky.

After Tsuna helped me get to the nurse's office, I laid down for a bit. Not really sleeping, but not really awake either.

I sighed, "Why did things have to get so crazy? It probably would've been better if I died back then, I think it's kind of obvious Reborn-san and Gokudera-san don't want me here…"

"You're sounding a lot like a runaway, Chi-chan," said a familiar voice. I sat up, ignoring the dizziness. I saw a silhouette behind the curtain surrounding the bed I was on.

"Shimizu-san?" I asked. The shadow revealed itself, and it was indeed, Shimizu-san.

She sat herself down on the side of the bed, moving her long, red hair to the side. Making herself comfortable, Shimizu-san looked at me right in the eye, with me quickly looking away, not liking direct eye contact with other people who weren't my family or Tsuna.

"Dying's a pretty easy way out for everything, huh?" she asked. I didn't answer. She laid back across my legs, her hair tickling my calves, "I think you're going to be a pretty tragic friend, my dear," said Shimizu-san, closing her eyes, "But that's okay, we can be tragic together."

I was gently pulling at some of her red strands, "Is this an allusion to your situation with Gokudera-san, Shimizu-san?" I asked quietly. She nodded, opening her eyes.

Giggling and pressing her pointer finger against her mouth in a shushing gesture, she replied, "Yes, but I can't tell you, until I tell Hayato. I always tell him everything first," she let out another chuckle, "You understand that really well, right Chi-chan?"

I nodded, I understood that completely. Trusting one other person is pretty interesting.

* * *

><p>After school, Gokudera-san, Shimizu-san and Yamamoto-san were walking home with us. Gokudera-san isn't getting along with Yamamoto-san, and Shimizu-san seems to enjoy listening to their one-sided arguments.<p>

Saying goodbye to the three, Tsuna and I went inside my house, intending to have another sleepover. We went up to my room, giving my mom a greeting along the way.

Tsuna groaned loudly and fell back on my bed, "Kyoko-chan's brother's going to be part of my 'family'," he complained, "Reborn's just getting greedy now!"

I patted his head, pushing some strands out of his face, "I'm sure it'll be okay, Tsuna, after all, it is really up to you if you're going to be the boss of this, 'Vongola'."

Sighing, Tsuna held the hand on his head, squeezing it, "Yeah, that's true, thanks Chi."

Squeezing back, I replied, "No problem."


End file.
